Third Journey
by Schizzar
Summary: This is a crossover fanfic of Kingdom Hearts and my other favorite mangas/animes. The main pairing is RikuxSora Starts where KH2 stopped. Yaoi, swearing, and violence. No longer on Hiatus.
1. Chapter 1

**Alright. I shouldn't be starting a new story but I don't care. The plot bunnies were assaulting me. And this is the result. This will be a crossover of many mangas and animes. For sure I know I will have Full Metal Alchemist, Bleach, Vampire Knight, and Black Cat. You guys can give me requests and I can see what I can do! This is a yaoi story so there will be boys kissing boys. I do not own Kingdom Hearts.**

"From the King?" Sora gaped, seizing the bottle from Kairi abruptly, jerking the note out and unrolling it.

Riku and Kairi quickly glanced over his shoulders and Sora began to read it aloud.

"Dear Kairi, Sora, and Riku,

It has come to my attention that there are more worlds out there then we originally thought and thanks to Chip and Dale, we can now access them by Gummi Ship! I'm afraid though, that these worlds are in danger of the heartless taking over so I want you three to go scope out the other worlds. I have included the coordinates you need. Donald, Goofy, and I will be handling another group of worlds. Please come find us if you need help. Thanks a lot guys!

Signed Sincerely,

King Mickey."

"Sounds fun," Riku mused, grabbing the scroll from Sora and looking at the bottom for the coordinates. "When do we leave?"

"Now!" Sora exclaimed, clearly excited over the thought of going on another journey.

"Down boy," Riku joked.

"I'm coming with you guys!" Kairi said stubbornly, blue eyes full of determination.

"You thought we were going to stop you?" Sora asked.

"Where's your Gummi Ship, Sora?" Riku asked.

"I've been hiding it on the other island…you know…the one no one is supposed to go to," Sora mumbled, scratching the back of his head and grinning sheepishly.

"Good idea. No one would ever find it there," Riku said. "Well let's go already."

"What about our parents?" Kairi asked worriedly.

"I think they're pretty used to us disappearing by now," Riku sighed, rolling his eyes. "Let's just go."

"He has a point. Come on, Kairi."

Sora jumped off the edge of the small island, splashing into the water up to his knees and running for where they had their boats docked.

"Do you guys even have potions?" Kairi exclaimed as she jumped into the water to follow after Riku and Sora.

"We're always prepared!" Riku called back to her, turning to toss her two potions.

Once the three of them were seated in the boat, Riku and Sora quickly began rowing, heading east towards the other island. It was still counted as Destiny Islands even though it was deemed uninhabitable.

"This is so exciting! I finally get to go with you guys!" Kairi said, close to squealing.

"I suppose we can't steal all of the fun," Riku sighed, smirking.

"Of course not!" Kairi said firmly.

"Almost there," Sora announced as they neared the beach.

Once the water was shallow enough, all three jumped out, scrambling up the sandy beach and into the forest that rimmed the shoreline and guarded the heart of the island.

"How far in did you put it?" Riku asked, drawing Way to Dawn to slash through vines to create a path for Sora and Kairi.

"Not too far. You'll see it in about two seconds," Sora told him.

True to his word, the Gummi Ship appeared seemingly out of nowhere, surrounded by trees and held snug in the grass.

"I'm driving!" Sora shouted when Riku moved to open the driver's door.

Riku rolled his eyes, walking around to the other side. "If we die, I blame you."

Kairi trotted after Riku, clambering in before him and into the back, quickly strapping herself in. Sora and Riku followed suit and Sora swiftly pressed several buttons, a low hum emitting from the ship.

"Prepare for take off!" Sora said as the ship rose unsteadily off the ground, slowly rising further and further until it was above the tree tops.

"Hold on tight," Riku called back to Kairi, grinning.

"Why?" she asked when suddenly they jolted forward, flying through the air at breakneck speed and earning a squeal of surprise from Kairi.

"That's why," Riku laughed.

And thus, our hero's journey begins…again…


	2. Chapter 2

**Finally! I've begun the rewriting process for real! I'm up to the Bleach Arc of this story so I'll try and update all the chapters up until that point. Not much has changed yet but give it time. I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Vampire Knight. Yaoi and the like. **

"Give me the first coordinates so I know where I'm going," Sora ordered, jerking them to a hard left to stop them from running into a gigantic chunk of Gummi material.

"Kinda busy," Riku grunted as he controlled the guns that shot down the heartless ships.

"Toss the scroll back to me," Kairi ordered.

Riku swiftly dug into his pocket, throwing the jar back to her without looking. Kairi caught it, pulling the scroll out and unraveling it. She called out some numbers and Sora suddenly forced them to a hard right, changing their course completely. The swarm of heartless stopped and Riku took the time to catch his breath.

"I hate this mode of travel," he grumbled, leaning back in the chair.

"Nothing I can do about it," Sora said. "I can't warp there if we haven't been there before."

"Not blaming you, Sora," Riku told him.

"Guys!" Kairi shouted, pointing ahead of them.

Sora turned back to the front, giving a cry of surprise and quickly making them roll to the left, barely dodging a meteor. He turned in his seat, giving Kairi a thumbs up.

"Thanks. I should pay better attention," he said sheepishly.

"Or let me drive," Riku pointed out, raising a fine silver eyebrow.

"In your dreams, pretty boy."

"What did you say?" Riku growled, eyes sparkling with laughter as a signal that they were just joking.

"He's right, Riku. No one can keep their hair that silky without taking extra care of it," Kairi teased.

"You know what? For that, you're on gun duty," Riku said, unbuckling himself and getting up.

Kairi sighed, clambering up to the front and sitting down.

"No need," Sora informed them. "We've reached the next world. Prepare for landing."

Without any more of a warning, Sora pressed a button and the engines suddenly gave out. Having never experienced landing in a Gummi Ship before, Kairi gave out a scream as they suddenly plummeted downwards. With a boom they landed, a cloud of dust raising up around them and obscuring everything from view.

"Great landing skills," Riku commented sarcastically, getting to his feet and climbing past both Kairi and Sora, opening both doors.

Kairi and Sora quickly followed after him out the door.

"Well…we're in another forest," Sora stated.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," Kairi sighed. "So where do we go?"

"Look who we have here, Kain-san," said a smooth voice from behind them.

Sora whirled around, Oblivion appearing in his hands in less than a second. Standing a top of the Gummi Ship were two boys, both regarding them coolly with smirks on their faces.

The one who had spoken had light blond hair that whirled around his face, every once in awhile slipping into blue eyes. Kairi's mouth nearly dropped open when the eyes flashed red once before he dropped right in front of her.

"Hello there. My name is Aido Hanabasu. Would you please allow me to drink your blood?" he asked smoothly, a hand slipping beneath her chin.

"Hands off," Riku growled, Way to Dawn leveled at Aido's throat.

"Touch him and die," the other, Kain, said, dropping down beside Riku, hand curling around his throat.

"What ever should we do, Kain-san? Should we take them to Kaname-sama?" Aido asked in a deadly innocent voice as he curled an arm around Kairi's waist.

Kairi tried to pull away, straining her neck away from the fangs that had suddenly sprouted from Aido's mouth.

"Headmaster. He'll want to know first," Kain said wisely. "It'd be best if you follow us quietly."

"Fine. Just let go of Kairi," Sora ordered, Oblivion vanishing.

Riku let Way to Dawn disappear as well, knocking Aido away from Kairi and grabbing her wrist, yanking her closer to him and Sora.

"Follow us," Aido said sweetly.

As they walked, Kairi took the time to examine the clothes they were wearing. They wore identical white uniforms. She saw this as a perfect opening to try and figure out more about them.

"Kain…do you and Aido go to a school around here? I noticed you're wearing uniforms," she said, preferring to talk to the more serious one than the one who had tried to well suck her blood.

"Yes, we do," Kain answered, not sparing to glance back at her.

"So where are you from, gorgeous?" Aido asked, lightly running a hand down her side.

She whirled around, swiftly back handing him. "Touch me again and die, pervert!"

"We aren't from around here, obviously," Riku said, glaring at Aido.

"That's too bad. Will you be leaving soon?" Aido asked.

"Of course. You think we wanna be around bloodsuckers?" Sora demanded, turning to face him and walking backwards.

He turned back to Kain, blocking the blow Kain had been about to deal him with his keyblade. _Wait a second…I thought I was wielding Oblivion,_ Sora thought, staring at Bond of Flames which he now gripped.

_**I switched it,**_said a voice in his head. _**You certainly weren't going to block it. I had to do something.**_

_Roxas?_

_**Who else?**_

"That is an interesting weapon you have here," Kain mused, running his hand down the length of the blade.

"Don't touch it," Sora growled.

Riku's eyes widened. That wasn't Sora's voice. That was Roxas! Kain seemed surprised as well, drawing back in surprise but his arm never leaving the blade.

"And who might you be?"

"Just back away from the blade or I swear to God I will kill you where you stand," Roxas said, glaring up at Kain.

Kain removed his arm from the blade and Sora straightened. "Sorry about that. Roxas was angry."

"Roxas?" Aido asked.

"None of your business," Kairi snapped.

_What could've caused that reaction from Roxas? _Kairi thought as Bond of Flames disappeared.

_**That's Axel's blade. Roxas probably doesn't want anyone touching it,**_Namine replied.

_The guy who kidnapped me?_ Kairi asked.

_**He was Roxas's lover. And I thought you had forgiven Axel?**_

_I have. Just clarifying._

"We've arrived," Kain said as they stepped out of the trees and into the courtyard of Cross Academy.

It was a sprawling building that put all three of them in shock at its beauty. But they immediately went on the defensive when the familiar sound of heartless emerging reached their ears.

"Heartless alert!" Sora shouted as several Neoshadow pulled themselves out of the ground, lunging directly for him.

They were sliced in half within seconds by Sora's keyblade and Riku quickly pounced on several more Neoshadows as Kairi tore apart seven Shadows easily. Kain and Aido watched the whole display with interest as more and more Heartless emerged, attacking the three keyblade wielders relentlessly. Kairi was exhausted within minutes, collapsing to her knees. Riku was instantly by her side, fighting off a Large Body as Sora took on a Wyvern.

"Sorry," Kairi panted, slowly getting to her feet. "I'm not used to this yet."

"It's fine. If you were, you'd be better than Riku and I when we first started out," Sora told her, giving her a reassuring smile.

"So you can defeat those…things," Kain said seriously. "We, however, cannot. Care to explain?"

"Let's see your Headmaster first," Sora said. "It'd be easier to explain things to him, I think."

"Have the Heartless been appearing here often?" Riku asked as they passed through the iron wrought gates.

"Very often," Aido said. "It's gotten worse as of late."

"I wonder where the keyhole will be," Sora said softly, more to himself than anyone else.

"Keyhole?" Aido wondered.

"You'll figure it out later," Riku sighed, brushing it off.

"Um…right," Aido muttered.

"Stop right there, on orders of the Disciplinary Committee!" ordered a voice, a brown haired girl dropping down in front of them.

Kairi leapt back in surprise, bumping into Aido before jumping away from him, glaring.

"Yuki. We're only here to bring these three to the Headmaster," Kain said.

"And why don't I believe you, vampire scum?" hissed a voice from behind them.

Sora and the others turned to see a boy dressed in an identical uniform only black pointing a gun at Kain's head, expression angry. Wisps of silver hair dropped into his eyes as the wind blew around them. Kairi was startled to see instead of just a flicker of red every once in awhile passing through his eyes, they were full blood red.

"Zero-san. Pleasure to see you this fine night," Aido said.

"Shut up," Zero growled, expression darkening as he turned his gun on Aido.

Riku took a mental note of the inscription Bloody Rose along the side of the gun.

"We don't want any trouble," Sora quickly said. "We just need to see your Headmaster straight away. These two were the first to find us."

"Did they bite you?" Zero demanded, eyes never leaving Aido's.

"Tried to," Kairi grumbled, shooting a glare at Aido.

"Sorry honey," Aido said, moving towards her.

Zero suddenly pulled the trigger, a bullet slicing through Aido's shoulder and spilling blood onto the ground.

"Bastard!" Aido growled. "You just had to shoot me with the Bloody Rose didn't you?"

Zero started to jump away when he realized everything from his shins down was suddenly encased in ice, rooting him to the ground. Aido lunged at him but Riku was there in seconds, blocking the claws from striking Zero.

"I believe Sora said he didn't want any trouble," Riku murmured lowly, eyes darkening.

Aido looked away, pulling back and releasing Zero from his hold.

"Aido, Kain, both of you return to your classes. Zero and I will escort these three to the Headmaster. I don't trust you for a second on these grounds," Yuki ordered, expression firm and leaving no room for argument.

"As you wish," Kain said, grabbing Aido's arm and yanking him away quickly.

They disappeared back into the trees and Yuki and Zero turned to the other three.

"Who are you?" Zero demanded bluntly.

"I'm Sora and those two are Riku and Kairi," Sora said, smiling at him.

"And you were stupid enough to get into Cross Academy and wander around in the forest how?" he asked, glowering at them.

"It wasn't by any means stupid," Riku said angrily, eyes narrowing at Zero.

"Why? Did you want to be prey to bloodsucking demons?" Zero countered, taking a threatening step towards Riku.

"You mean like you?" Riku shot back.

Zero reeled away from him. "What?"

"Oh I can tell. You're eyes are the color of blood lust, just like Aido's before he tried to bite Kairi," Riku snarled. "It's easy to put two and two together."

"Riku!" Sora cried. "Let's just go already. Please don't fight."

Riku glowered at Zero before turning to Sora, gaze softening almost instantly. "Fine."

Yuki coughed awkwardly. "Well…right. Let's go."

ZYZYZY

"Yuki! My darling daughter!" the man cried, scrambling around his desk and bowling Yuki over in a tight hug.

Sora and the others watched the display of affection, amused. The man had pale hair as well, keeping it in a loose ponytail and small glasses. Yuki was obviously trying to get Zero to help her but he was making a point of looking away, choosing instead to gaze out the window at the night sky.

"Headmaster Cross…I mean…Dad," Yuki said, shoving the man off her. "These three wish to speak with you."

The man pushed his glasses up into a more comfortable position and regarded them carefully. "I see. May you two wait outside please?"

Zero pushed off from the wall, yanking Yuki out of the room before she could protest. After the door shut, Headmaster Cross turned and sat behind his desk, motioning for the three of them to stand before him.

"I've never seen you around here and you aren't wearing any uniforms. Tell me, who are you?"

"We're the wielders of the Keyblade," Riku started. "Your students have told us you've been having problems with Heartless."

"Heartless?" he wondered, tilting his head to the side questioningly.

"Those weird shadow beings," Kairi supplied, moving her arms in a way that would hopefully explain what she was trying to say.

"They're born from the darkness of peoples' hearts. Only the Keyblades are able to cause them any harm. Well guaranteed," Sora told him, knowing Kairi's explanation was not enough. "The Heartless will consume your world if we don't do something."

"This is all very…odd for me to hear," the Headmaster said. "But…I suppose I don't really have a choice in the matter."

"No…you don't," Riku said. "So…if you'd just give us free reign of your Academy we can find what we're looking for."

"And that would be?"

"The Keyhole. If I lock it, the Heartless will stop," Sora informed him.

"Well…I hope you understand I can't just let you walk around here. The other students would get suspicious," the Headmaster said. "I'll enroll you as students of the Day Class."

"What? I didn't come on this journey to go to school!" Sora cried, breaking his serious expression.

Riku laughed, putting a hand on Sora's shoulder. "We'll do what we need to do, Sora."

"Will we be getting uniforms?" Kairi asked, ignoring the other two.

"Yes. If you would call Yuki and Zero in please. They can take you to the open dorm rooms and get your measurements for uniforms," he told them.

ZYZYZY

"I trust those three about as far as I can throw them," Zero muttered after they had escorted the three of them to their rooms.

"Why do you say that?" Yuki asked as they wandered the school grounds in the chilly night air.

"We know nothing about them. They show up out of nowhere in the middle of school grounds and are able to fight off those…things that have been plaguing our school," Zero said, eyes narrowed.

"Zero…don't worry about it. Whatever it is, I'm sure Headmaster Cross knows what's going on," Yuki sighed.

"Whatever. I still don't trust them."

"So don't. You heard what Headmaster said. They'll only be here for a little bit," Yuki told him.

"I just-"

"I get it Zero…I get it," Yuki said, smiling at him gently.

_I have a really bad feeling about this._


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's the third rewritten chapter. **

"They call them Heartless?" Kaname mused.

"Yes," Kain confirmed.

Kaname leaned over in his chair to glance out the window as night began to set. His eyes zeroed in on a trio of Day Class students, instantly recognizing them as the ones Kain had been talking about.

"Interesting. I think I'll go introduce myself."

Without waiting for Kain's reply, Kaname opened the window, springing out of it and landing on the ground right in front of the trio.

"What's the big idea!" Sora cried, reeling back in surprise.

_He's gorgeous,_ Kairi thought as the boy rose to a standing position, smiling warmly at them as he brushed chocolate brown hair out of crimson eyes. He had a lithe grace about him that left Kairi in complete awe as he turned his smile to her. Despite herself, she felt a blush creep up her neck and flood her face.

"I just thought I'd greet the new members of the Day Class," Kaname said. "My name is Kaname Kuran. My lower classman have told me about you."

Kairi's blush died instantly and she moved her red hair out of her face so she could fix Kaname with her coldest glare. "You mean the perverts?"

"I apologize for any abuse they may have dealt you. They are both a little full of themselves. Am I correct to assume you know what we are?" he asked calmly.

"If you mean bloodsucking demons, yes, we know what you are," Riku replied stonily.

Kaname smiled, letting his fangs show. "Why yes. That's exactly what I meant."

"Heartless!" Kairi shouted, pointing behind Kaname as a Gargoyle suddenly appeared behind Kaname, aiming directly for his head.

Sora sprung up into the air, summoning his keyblade and knocking the Gargoyle back towards Riku. Riku had already drawn his weapon, delivering the final blow and sending it off in a puff of black mist. Sora landed behind Kaname, willing his weapon to vanish, Riku quickly following suit.

"Pretend you saw nothing," Sora instructed.

"Oh but I already know about you. Kain and Aido have informed me of your powers," Kaname told them. "Is there away to control these…Heartless?"

"Yes…but I suggest you don't try," Riku said darkly.

Sora chewed his lip, wishing he could dispel Riku's guilt over what he had done.

"Enlighten me, Riku," Kaname said, focusing his gaze entirely and solely onto Riku's face.

"Give yourself to the dark," Riku sneered. "See if you live!"

Kaname smirked. "No reason to get sore. And as if I'd want to have control over such lowly things. You three seem to be handling the situation just fine."

Riku's eyes narrowed and Way to Dawn appeared in his hands again. He was about to lunge at Kaname but Sora stopped him with a shout.

"Riku! No trouble! Please!" Sora ordered.

"Sorry. They just…piss me off," Riku muttered. "I'm sorry, Sora."

Sora's gaze softened. "Come on. Let's go back to our dorm."

He continued walking and Riku hurried to follow. Kairi, however, glared at Kaname again.

"I hate you!" she snapped, whipping her hand across his face once before taking off after the other two.

Kaname whirled around, catching her arm and slamming her into the wall, watching as Riku and Sora disappeared around the corner of the building. Kairi struggled as Kaname easily pinned her arms above her head, bringing his mouth to her neck.

"You really shouldn't have done that," he whispered softly, licking the smooth column of her neck once.

Kairi squirmed, sickened by the feel of his tongue.

"Get off of her!" she shouted in Namine's voice.

_**Sorry Kairi!**_

_Do continue._

Namine slammed Kairi's foot into Kaname's kneecap while sinking her nails into his hands, landing neatly when he released her. Before Kaname could even think of recovering, they were already gone, racing after Riku and Sora.

_Thank you Namine. Really._

_**I won't let him hurt you,**_Namine told her. _**I would never allow that.**_

"Kairi? Are you slow or what?" Sora joked as she caught up to them.

"No. Kaname tried to bite me," she muttered. "But Namine helped me."

"I'll kill him," Riku growled.

"No, you will not. Let's just go back to our dorms and get some rest. We'll head out for exploring in two hours," Sora sighed.

ZYZYZY

"I hate it here," Riku murmured as he flopped down on one of the beds.

"Why?" Sora asked, taking off his shoes and shrugging out of the jacket.

"It's filled with darkness."

Sora walked over to him, sitting down beside his head. "Don't worry Riku. There's no way the darkness will take you over now."

"You don't know that!" Riku hissed, seizing Sora's shoulders as he sat up. Sora was startled to see pure unbridled fear in the aquamarine eyes. "I am scared to death that the darkness will suck me back in!"

"I won't let that happen," Sora told him, gently gripping Riku's hands and moving them off his shoulders, holding them between them instead.

Riku's head dropped onto Sora's shoulder and Sora gently ran a hand through his silver mane, trying his best to comfort his distraught friend.

"That stench of darkness…it's everywhere," Riku murmured. "It's dulling all of my other senses."

"I…don't know what to say," Sora said quietly.

Riku didn't respond, just sucking in shuddering breath after shuddering breath as he slowly wrapped his arms around Sora's slim waist, forcing Sora to sit fully on his lap. Sora knew he should be alarmed by the sudden position but for some reason, it felt completely and utterly perfect. The only thing he knew was that Riku need his comfort and he was willing to give it to him no matter what.

Riku buried his face in Sora's neck, thinking hard. Why did it feel so natural for him to be in Sora's arms with his own wrapped around his friend's small frame? Why did it feel so natural to have slender fingers sliding through his hair as the other caressed his back gently? All these questions and not one single answer. So instead, he just held on tighter.


	4. Chapter 4

**Fourth in the rewritten.**

Two hours later, the group met outside their dorms, heading into the forest so that they could avoid Yuki and Zero. They didn't want to risk being sent back to their dorms now that the sun had set.

"So where do you think the Keyhole will be?" Kairi asked.

"I have no idea. I'm not a genius at this or anything," Sora sighed. "We'll just scope out the Moon Dormitory and get a list of possible places it might be. Then tomorrow we'll investigate them further. If we don't find anything, we move to our own dorm."

"And if we have nothing there?" Riku asked.

"Um…I haven't gotten that far," Sora admitted with a blush.

Riku ruffled his hair. "Whatever. But we can branch out in the Moon Dormitory. They aren't there right now."

"Good idea. I'll take the West Wing. Riku can take the East Wing and Kairi can take the North Wing. Meet back here in one hour," Sora ordered.

Kairi nodded and took off towards the North Wind but Riku lingered.

"Sora…" he trailed off, shifting his weight from foot to foot.

"Yes, Riku?" Sora asked, having a feeling he knew what Riku was going to ask.

"I…can I come with you?" he asked quietly.

"Um…sure…but why?" Sora asked as they began walking towards the West Wing.

"I don't feel safe," Riku admitted. "But…um…god this sounds weird…you feel…safe."

Sora smiled gently. "I understand Riku. Come on."

They walked up the steps into the dorm, slipping into the darkened halls soundlessly. It was true. Being around Sora felt safe. He felt protected even though he had always considered himself the stronger of the two when it came to fighting Heartless. He didn't mean that kind of safe. Physically, he knew he could handle the Heartless and Nobodies easily but it was the darkness and emptiness that they represented that put him on edge and struck fear in every inch of his heart.

"Riku…" Sora said softly, turning to look at him. "Are you okay?"

Riku laughed bitterly. "Of course not. I'm so screwed up right now. The darkness…it's calling me…all the time."

Sora shook his head, slipping his hand through Riku's and squeezing. "Don't worry. I won't let it get to you."

Riku stared down at their interlocked hands, unsure of what to think about the situation. Sora's hand was warm and soft while his was cold and calloused. They were so different. Sora was light while he was dark. Sora was happy while he was sad. Sora was perfect while he was the world's biggest screw up.

"Stop feeling so bad, Riku. Don't worry about anything," Sora said softly, gently tugging Riku into a walk again.

Slowly, they checked all the rooms they came across, nothing particularly standing out to them as a possible Keyhole. Until they reached Kaname's room that is. They could tell it was his by the gold nameplate that was stuck to the oak door.

"Of course he has a nameplate," Riku muttered.

Sora tried the door knob, not surprised to realize it was locked. So instead he just summoned his keyblade, tapping it once before opening the door and leading Riku inside. The room was in perfect condition with black lace window curtains to block out any light that might filter in. The bed was huge and covered with a black comforter with a red canopy and the carpet was plush and soft.

"He must be rich or something," Riku said as they slowly began sifting through the things on his desk and running their hands along the walls for anything suspicious.

"Who knows? Let's just hurry up and get back to Kairi. You know she isn't as strong as us and-"

A high pitched wail suddenly pierced the air, echoing down the hallway and into the room. Without hesitating, the two Keyblade wielders were dashing down the hallway towards the sound. The hallway led to the Main Hall where Kairi was surrounded by four Large Bodies and ten Neoshadows.

"Kairi!" Sora shouted, racing towards her and cutting through a Large Body from behind.

Kairi glanced at him in relief, quickly fighting off a Neoshadow while Riku attacked the remaining three Large Bodies. In no time, they had destroyed the Heartless.

"Sorry guys. I just can't handle them by myself," she said sheepishly.

"Stop apologizing. It's fine," Riku said.

"So it was you. What are you three doing in the Moon Dormitory?" Zero demanded as he stepped into the main hall, gun out.

"Shit," Riku hissed.

"Um…" Sora trailed off, unable to come up with a good excuse.

Kairi made a mental note to the fact that Zero's eyes were no longer crimson but a lilac color.

"I think you three should come with me to see the Headmaster," Zero said quietly, eyes narrowed. "It would be unfortunate for you to resist."

"Oh shut up," Riku ordered. "Stop acting so tough."

Sora's eyes widened when he saw a Neoshadow rising out of the ground behind Zero, drawing back an arm to slice at him. But before anyone could warn him, it attacked, slicing through his back and sending him sprawling across the ground. Zero quickly rolled onto his back despite the wounds now there and fired off three quick shots, scrambling to his feet when he saw that once again, his bullets did no damage at all.

Riku decided then that he would help. He leapt away from the others, ramming his blade deep into the Neoshadow and killing it almost instantly. Without looking at Zero even once, he walked back to Sora and Kairi.

"Why didn't you help me in the first place?" Zero hissed, shrugging out of his jacket as blood continued to drip from his wound.

"Zero…why are you bleeding?" Kaname asked as he entered the hall behind Zero.

His eyes were the deep color of bloodlust as the blood washed onto the marble floors.

"I was attacked by those weird things. Think of drinking from me and die," Zero hissed.

"As if. Get out of here. I will punish these three accordingly seeing as how they are in my dorm," Kaname told him.

Zero's eyes narrowed but he hurried out of the room and back outside nonetheless.

"Now, you three. What are you doing snooping around in the Moon Dormitory?" Kaname asked, slowly walking towards them, an animal stalking its prey.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that," Sora said, expression serious.

"I think you can," Kaname told him, suddenly vanishing and reappearing behind Kairi, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her to him, fangs hovering inches from her neck.

"Let her go," Riku ordered dangerously.

"Tell me what I want to know," Kaname countered.

"Ask the Headmaster," Sora said, eyeing his fangs nervously.

Kaname pulled back. "I suppose I could do that. If I'm not satisfied with my answer I'm finding you."

"Fine. Just leave us alone," Sora said.

Kaname pushed Kairi forward and Sora quickly caught her, wrapping his arms around her tightly. She hid her face in his shoulder, unable to look at Kaname as she quaked in fear from what had just taken place.

Riku quickly led them away and back towards their dorm. As they walked, Sora never removed his arms from Kairi and Riku felt an emotion bubbling up within him. But he had no idea what it was…and then he did. Jealousy. But…he was jealous of Sora, right? He wanted to hold Kairi…right? Not Sora. He did not want to hold Sora. Of course not. Because he was not gay.

After dropping Kairi off at her dorm they headed back for their own. As they walked, Riku spoke up.

"Sora…are you in love with Kairi?"

Sora looked at him startled. "What? No. Of course not. She's my best friend. Nothing more."

Riku nodded.

"What brought that on?" Sora asked curiously, opening their dorm room door.

"Nothing. Don't worry about it," Riku said quickly.

Sora shrugged before slipping into the bathroom to get read ready for bed. Riku flopped down on his bed, rolling on his back to stare up at the ceiling. He was so totally screwed.


	5. Chapter 5

**Part five of the rewrite.**

Zero? What happened?" Yuki cried as Zero stumbled over to her in front of the Day Class dorms.

"Heartless. Just get me some bandages," he ordered, leaning against the wall.

Yuki nodded, sprinting inside and pounding up the stairs to her room. _Those Heartless…what connection to they have to Sora and the others?_ She thought as she pulled out a roll of bandages from her dresser, being careful not to wake up Yori.

Zero was waiting outside her door when she emerged and she jumped, holding a hand over her mouth to muffle her cry of surprise. He just rolled his eyes before taking the bandages from her, eyes flickering up to her neck where a crisp white bandage was wrapped.

"I am sorry about these," he said quietly, reaching forward and brushing his fingers over where his fang marks were hidden.

Yuki shivered. "Don't worry, Zero. It was my choice and I wouldn't let you do this if it was against my will."

Zero nodded, eyes unreadable before stalking away down the hallway. Yuki couldn't suppress another shudder when she saw the brutal claw marks ripping through Zero's jacket and shirt.

_Why must he always throw himself in to danger without a thought of how it will hurt him? Doesn't he realize that if he dies I'll be lost forever?_

ZYZYZY

"Kaname-sama! Hello! How are you this fine evening?" Ichijo asked as he entered Kaname's dorm room.

"Ichijo-san, I was just going to call for you," Kaname said, turning in his seat and facing away from the window to look Ichijo in the eyes.

Ichijo swiftly moved pale blond hair out of his green eyes so he could focus on Kaname better, sensing the seriousness in Kaname's tone.

"What do you need Kaname-sama?"

"I talked to the Headmaster about the three new Day Class students. It turns out they are searching for something they call a Keyhole," Kaname told him, getting to his feet and slowly walking towards him.

"And?"

"Well…if they seal this Keyhole the Heartless will stop attacking us," Kaname said, stopping directly in front of him and looking him directly in the eyes.

"I don't see how that is a bad thing, Kaname-sama," Ichijo said, gaze not faltering.

"Think of the power we could have if we gained control over those Heartless. Vampires could finally be the ruling race with no problems at all. Vampire Hunters wouldn't be able to touch us if the Heartless were under our control," Kaname said quietly, stepping back and turning to stare out the window.

"Um…Kaname-sama…I thought we were trying to live in harmony with humans," Ichijo muttered, scratching the back of his head. Kaname was not acting like the Kaname he knew. Something within him had changed.

"Just follow my orders and we won't have any problems," Kaname said darkly, turning to face him again with darkened eyes.

"Yes Kaname-sama," Ichijo said quickly, knowing that if he protested again he could end up in serious trouble even if his grandfather was on the senate.

"I want you to get close to that Kairi girl. Ask her on a date, take her into town, and weasel all possible information out of her about the darkness of one's heart," Kaname ordered.

"Yes, Kaname-sama," Ichijo said, bowing quickly before darting out of the door.

Kaname smiled once before turning his attention back out the window. Things were falling into place.

ZYZYZY

The next day, as the Day Class left the Academy and the Night Class, Ichijo darted over to the Day Class side after picking out Kairi. Kaname, Aido, and Kain were successfully distracting Yuki and Zero leaving him just enough time to talk to Kairi.

"Kairi-chan! How do you like Cross Academy?" he asked good naturedly.

Kairi stopped, motioning for Riku and Sora to continue on ahead. "Do I know you?"

"Forgive me for not introducing myself! I am Ichijo Takuma! And I am asking you out on a date," he said, grinning his award winning smile.

Several girls around them cried out in protest, attracting the attention of Yuki and Zero. Kairi blushed under all the attention.

"If you agree, meet me at the Moon Dormitory entrance tomorrow at eight in the morning," he said softly, thankful that tomorrow was the weekend.

"Um…okay," Kairi mumbled.

"Get to class," Zero ordered stonily as he strode over to them.

"Yes Mr. Disciplinary Committee sir!" Ichijo said brightly before striding away from them, turning once to wink at Kairi before joining Kaname.

"Good job," Kaname said quietly.

ZYZYZY

"So what was that all about?" Riku asked after Kairi had caught up to them.

"One of those Vampires asked me on a date. I'm going," she told them firmly. "Maybe I can get information on Kaname or a probable place for the Keyhole to be at."

Sora shrugged. "We'll follow just to make sure nothing happens. Is that okay?"

Kairi nodded. "I don't think I want to be alone with a vampire anyways."

"So what are the details then?" Riku asked.

"I'm meeting him at eight in the morning. I have no idea where we will be going," Kairi admitted.

"Well…we'll be there," Sora assured her.

She smiled. "Thanks."

ZYZYZY

"So you came," Ichijo said, grinning when Kairi walked up to him.

"Well…I can't turn down the offer of one of the most gorgeous men I've ever seen in my life, now can I?" Kairi cooed.

From their spot hidden in the trees, Sora cast Riku a surprised look.

"Who knew Kairi could be such a flirt," Sora said, shrugging.

"Are you seriously telling me you haven't noticed all the times she flirted with you when we were younger?" Riku asked, snickering at Sora's shocked expression.

"She did?"

"Idiot. Pay attention, they're walking," Riku ordered, pointing as Ichijo began leading Kairi off school grounds, heading for the town the Academy over looked.

Sora jumped down from the tree with Riku and they stealthily began following after them, sticking to the forest until they got into the town. Seeing as how it was still early, the town was already bustling from activity and it was hard to keep up with the two.

"There's a lot of darkness in this town," Riku said lowly, eyes never leaving Ichijo or Kairi. "But I can't pinpoint it."

"So what do we do?" Sora asked.

"Just keep following for now. If we get closer to it, I'll let you know."

"So…Kaname…I apologize for his rudeness," Ichijo said as they walked. "He's just used to getting what he wants."

"Are you saying he wants…me?" Kairi asked, slightly disgusted at the thought.

"I don't mean to sound rude but it isn't you he wants. He wants your blood," Ichijo told him. "Now that I think about it, your blood does smell nice."

Kairi stared at him, scandalized by what he had said. "I…"

"Oh, sorry. Don't worry, I won't bite. I took my blood tablets today," Ichijo told her, beaming at her to shake off the fright in Kairi's eyes.

"Blood tablets?" she questioned.

"They keep our thirst at bay. It isn't real blood, I promise," Ichijo assured her.

"I have a question, about the bloodlust," Kairi said awkwardly as they stepped into a small bakery.

"Ask away," Ichijo encouraged, sitting down at one of the tables near the counter.

"Do your eyes turn red when you feel it?"

Ichijo was surprised at her accurate guess. "Yes…why?"

"Kaname and Aido…their eyes turn red sometimes," Kairi said.

"Well, you are correct. Congratulations on being so observant," Ichijo told her. "But, I have some questions of my own…"

Kairi nodded, smiling at him while on the inside, her barriers went up and she became even wearier. Her eyes flickered behind Ichijo to a table where Riku and Sora were sitting down, being careful not to look at her.

"Well…these Heartless…Kaname told me about them. You fight them?" Ichijo asked.

"Yeah, I do," Kairi answered, careful not to give anything away.

"Well…who controls the Heartless? What makes them attack someone?"

Kairi fought to keep her eyes from narrowing. "Usually, from what Sora and Riku have told me, there's someone on every world able to control them. Otherwise they just go after whoever is wielding the keyblade."

Ichijo feigned shock. "So these Heartless are constantly targeting you and your friends? Isn't that dangerous?"

"Don't make the mistake of underestimating us, please," Kairi said, fighting to keep the coldness out of her voice. How dare he underestimate her? So what if she was just starting out!

"I apologize if it came off that way. Well enough talk. I'll get us some breakfast," Ichijo told her, smiling politely. "You just sit tight."

Kairi nodded, smiling sweetly until he had turned his back and walked up to the counter.

_Ugh. I hate being around him._

_**He's prying. I can tell.**_

___Really? What gave it away?_ Kairi asked sarcastically.

_**Whoa girl. Easy. Just be careful and don't give anything away.**_

___Don't worry._

"I hope you like muffins," Ichijo told her, sitting back down and handing her a blueberry muffin.

"Love them. Blueberries are my favorite," Kairi lied. _Ew…blueberries!_

Ichijo beamed at her happily again and began eating his own while Kairi reluctantly began to eat hers. _Gross!!!_ Namine laughed lightly in her head at her disgust of blueberries.

"Kairi hates blueberries," Sora snickered when he saw what Ichijo had bought her.

Riku snorted. "Poor girl. Want anything Sora?" he asked.

"Do you have munny?" Sora asked in surprise.

"Unlike you, I was paying attention to the munny the Heartless were dropping and I picked some up," Riku told him. "What do you want?"

"Something with chocolate," Sora answered, grinning. "Thanks Riku."

Riku stood up, heading up to the counter. _Why does this feel so much like a date to me? Because we're tailing Kairi while she's on a date? Or because I'm in love with Sora? God…did I really think that? I can't poison him with my darkness._

"Sir? What would you like?" the cashier asked impatiently.

"Oh, right."

Riku got himself a plain muffin and got Sora one with chocolate chips.

"Here's your chocolate, spaz," Riku teased, handing Sora his food.

"I am _not_ a spaz," Sora pouted.

Riku's breath caught. _Since when did he look so freaking adorable like that?_

They quickly ate, waiting for Kairi and Ichijo to continue on before getting up and tailing after them.

ZYZYZY

Senri woke up, rolling over and seeing Ichijo's bed empty. He had felt the lack of presence like a powerful yank in his chest and had woken immediately only to see that he was right. His roommate was gone.

He sat up, running a hand through messy locks of brown hair and swinging out of bed. Where could Ichijo have gone this late? Why would he be up during the daytime anyways? Normally, he would've written it off as business Kaname had for him but he couldn't help but want to find him this time.

Quickly, Senri got ready despite the fact that he was dead tired before making his way to Aido's room, figuring that maybe he would know where Ichijo had gone. He walked inside without knocking, yanking the covers off Aido's bed.

"What the hell?" Aido grumbled, turning on his back to look at him and rubbing his eyes.

"Where's Ichijo?" Senri demanded sternly, face expressionless.

"I don't keep track of your _master,_" Aido sneered.

"Just answer the question."

"Kaname sent him to take that Kairi chick on a date," Aido answered. "Now leave me alone."

"He…what?" Senri breathed.

"Go away! Chase after him if you want. They went into town."

Senri vanished from the room and Aido promptly covered himself with his covers again.

ZYZYZY

Ichijo led Kairi to the local movie theater. Riku gulped as they followed them in, paying quickly for his and Sora's tickets before following Kairi and Ichijo inside. _God…this really does feel like a date,_ Riku thought as he and Sora sat down five rows back from Ichijo and Kairi.

He tensed even more when the lights went out and the picture began playing. It was as if every nerve were on fire from the closeness of Sora, sending tingles up and down his arms, crawling down his spine and starting all over again. If this kept up, Sora would realize something was wrong!

"Riku…are you okay?" Sora whispered quietly.

He could feel the tension practically radiating off of Riku in waves. It worried him to know end that something was putting his best friend on such an edge.

"I…don't like the darkness," Riku answered. It was true. He hated being in the dark after he had finally broken free from it…or so he hoped. He wasn't afraid of the dark, like when he was trying to sleep. But when it was dark and he was awake he felt as if he were suffocating. And to top it all off, he was suffering from the inner battle about his feelings for Sora.

"Riku…we should leave if you aren't comfortable. Ichijo won't do anything in public," Sora whispered quietly, grabbing Riku's hand and tugging him up, quickly leading him out into the light again.

Riku leaned against the wall, slumping down against it and holding his head in his hands. "Sorry."

"It's fine Riku. I understand completely," Sora said, sitting down next to him.

Sora was unsure of why he did it but he slowly looped his arm around Riku's shoulders, the other one crossing in front of his neck and hugging him, resting his head on Riku's shoulder.

Every nerve felt like it had been electrified as Sora hugged him and his breath caught once again. Just a simple touch from Sora and suddenly it was as if all the problems in the world were miraculously solved.

ZYZYZY

Kairi hated the movie. Its plot was bland and simple, similar to every other movie she had ever seen. It was as if no movie could ever ensnare her interest again after all of the trials she had endured while she was at The World that Never Was.

As the emerged she saw Riku and Sora were in the lobby and she quickly began talking to Ichijo to distract him from their presence. Before she could speak however, a boy was yanking her away from Ichijo and she was fixed with a cold blue stare.

"Senri-kun!" Ichijo exclaimed, surprised at Senri's sudden appearance.

Kairi had to blink before she could focus. Senri was almost an exact copy of Sora. The only thing that held them apart was the fact that Senri's eyes were haunted and cold while Sora's were always cheerful and happy.

"Stay away from him," Senri growled, eyes threatening her to object.

"Senri! What's wrong?" Ichijo demanded, stepping between Senri and Kairi. "I apologize Kairi. Can you get back to the dorms by yourself?"

"Um…yes…"

"I'll take you on another date later to make up for Senri's rude behavior," he promised, shooting her a quick smile before grabbing Senri's arm and yanking him away and out of the theater.

"What just happened?" Sora asked as he and Riku raced up to her.

"I have no idea. That guy just came out of nowhere and tossed me away," she said.

"He's jealous of you, obviously," Riku said.

"Obvious? How do you figure?" Sora asked.

"His eyes. He was jealous that Ichijo wasn't with him," Riku answered.

"Why would he be jealous?" Sora asked.

Riku rolled his eyes. "There are people in the world who are you know…gay."

"Oh right," Sora said, blushing. "So uh…what did you and Ichijo talk about?"

"He wanted to know about the Heartless. I made sure to give him as little information as possible," Kairi told him.

"Ten munny that he's working for Kaname," Riku said. "Kaname wants to know how to control the Heartless. Or at least his actions suggest that he does."

"So…basically we need to find the Keyhole before he figures it out, right?" Sora asked.

"That's about right," Riku answered. Suddenly he stiffened. "Sora…that darkness I was telling you about…it's stronger. And really close."

He turned around quickly, scanning the many people milling around in the lobby. His eyes focused on a man dressed in dark clothes and unruly black hair. A large eye patch covered one of his eyes completely and he wore a dark brown coat and a matching hat.

"Him," Riku growled. "He's the one pulsing with darkness."

"He's our Ethics teacher!" Kairi cried. "I can't believe you guys don't recognize him."

"You mean you were actually paying attention in class?" Sora asked, bewildered at the idea.

"Yes! What were you doing?"

"Doodling Heartless," Sora answered with a shrug.

"I'll confront him later. No one can be that full of darkness and not know about the Heartless," Riku said.


	6. Chapter 6

"Senri, what was with you?" Ichijo demanded after they had arrived back in their dorm room.

"I don't want you with her," Senri answered.

"I was only there on orders of Kaname," Ichijo hissed. "And thanks to you, now I don't have any good information to give him!"

"It's always about him," Senri said lowly. "Anything for Kaname."

"Senri…" Ichijo murmured. "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing."

Senri looked down.

"Senri…are you in love with me?" Ichijo asked quietly.

"So what if I am? Are you going to toss me away now?" Senri asked bitterly.

Ichijo smiled gently. "Of course not. I love you too."

Senri looked up at him surprise. "You…do?"

Ichijo just yanked Senri closer and kissed him gently. Senri blushed bright red when they pulled away, unable to remain emotionless after the small chaste kiss. Ichijo wrapped his arms around Senri tenderly, nuzzling the top of his head.

"You're so stupid sometimes," he murmured.

ZYZYZY

Riku lingered after their Ethics class, wondering why he didn't feel the darkness before that radiated from their teacher, who he now learned was Toga Yagari.

"What do you want?" Yagari asked when it was only Riku left in the room.

"Well…I'll just be straight and to the point," Riku sighed, sauntering up and standing directly in front of him. "How long have you been in control of the Heartless?"  
"In control of them?" Yagari scoffed. "As if. I created them with the darkness of my heart but they don't _obey_ me. Not strong enough."

"So you let them in to this world?" Riku demanded, eyes narrowing.

"I thought I could control them," Yagari sighed. "Not that it matters. You can take care of them now."

"Yes, because I'm all too happy to clean up your mess. How did you know anyways?"

"A little birdie told me," Yagari answered, regarding him coolly with his one eye.

"Who?" Riku demanded, his gaze clearly displaying that he wasn't in the mood for any dancing around the question.

"Someone by the name of Rezen," Yagari answered.

"Never heard of him," Riku muttered. "Well…as much as I'd love to cut your head off, I think the Headmaster would get mad at me and Sora would never forgive me. So I'm going to let you live."

With that, Riku stalked away from him, mind whirling. _Who is Rezen? _

ZYZYZY

"So did you talk to him?" Sora asked as the three of them exited the Academy and headed for their dorms.

"Yeah. I found out something interesting too," Riku said. "I'll tell you when we get back to the dorm."

"Um guys, I have another date with Ichijo in two hours. I don't know how he managed to get out of class but…you know," Kairi mumbled, blushing a little. "You'll come with me, right?"

"Duh," Riku said. "You thought we wouldn't?"

"Well we still need to look for the Keyhole," Kairi told them.

"I'll stay and look for the Keyhole. Riku, you can follow Kairi and Ichijo. That way we can do both."

Riku nodded. "I can do that. Where is he meeting you, Kairi?"

"Same place as last time. So I'll see you there, then?" she asked.

"Yeah. I'll fill Sora in on what happened and then we can work from there. I'll see you in two hours."

With that, the group separated.

"So what did you find out?" Sora asked as they entered their dorm room.

"Well, our Ethics teacher, Toga Yagari, was the one who created the Heartless here on this world. But he can't control them," Riku informed him.

"What? How did he learn how to do that?" Sora demanded, eyes wide with surprise.

"He said someone named Rezen told him. I have who that is," Riku said, sitting down on his bed and glancing at Sora. "Ever heard of him?"

"Nope. Doesn't ring any bells. I'll bet he's one of those Nobodies though. Maybe a member of the Organization we didn't know about?"

_**Nope. If he had been in the Organization, I would know,**_Roxas told him. _**I can promise you that he wasn't there.**_

"Roxas says there was no one from the Organization named Rezen so never mind," Sora sighed.

"Well obviously he knew about these worlds before us and has let the roots of darkness take place," Riku growled. "I'll kill him when we find him."

"The roots of darkness have always been here, Riku. Just dark thoughts in general are where the Heartless start. It's when someone learns how to make those dark thoughts into the Heartless that the real trouble starts," Sora said.

"So where do we go from here?"

"I would say find the Keyhole but it seems like Kaname and Yagari want to learn how to control the Heartless. So we should…get rid of them first," Sora said, wincing at his own choice of words.

"We can't really do that without making the Headmaster mad at us. Besides, the entire Night class would be after out heads if we killed Kaname and then we'd never find the Keyhole," Riku told him. "Let's just focus on the Keyhole for now."

ZYZYZY

Sora crept into the Night Class Dorm, ears open for any noise that might have been out of place. He had waited until the Night Class was long gone before creeping inside. It was then that he noticed a door in the main hall he hadn't seen last time.

It was between the two sets of stairs that led to the second floor. It was tucked beneath one of the stair cases and he could barely see it because of the shadows. He wasn't surprised to find it locked and quickly used the Keyblade to gain access inside. Unlike the rest of the dorm, which was pristine, clean, and made of marble, the door revealed a tunnel which was dark and made of concrete and generally looked unsafe.

"Here goes nothing," he muttered, stepping inside.

It was pitch black but there was enough light to see if he left the door open. Well…for the first couple steps at least. But before long, he was bathed in complete darkness, his eyes struggling to adjust but finding it impossible.

"Great! Now I can't see a thing!" he grumbled.

At that, an angry tinkle of bells sounded right beside his ear and he jumped away in surprise, eyes widening when he saw a familiar fairy glowering at him as she glowed brightly.

"Tinker Bell! I forgot I had you!"

There was another round of angry bell sounds and then she sighed.

"Are you going to lead the way for me?" Sora asked. "So I can see?"

She nodded and then fluttered past him, spinning dizzy circles before him as she led him deeper and deeper into the tunnel. Sora was thankful Tinker Bell had stayed with him other wise he would be at a complete loss of how to continue.

Sora lost track of time as they walked and wondered if it would be a good idea for him to turn back and return later with Riku. But before he could Tinker Bell let out several excited rings.

"What is it, Tink?" he asked, racing forward.

She pointed before them, the sparkle of light revealing an iron door.

"Too late to turn back now," he said with a shrug, pulling out his Keyblade and tapping the door.

It opened and he stepped through, Tinker Bell following close behind him. The door revealed a large room made of stone. The ceiling arched high above him and in the center of the room was a single torch, dimly lighting up the cavernous room.

"What the heck is this doing down here?" Sora wondered, slowly making his way around the edge of the wall, intent on figuring out just how big the room was.

Tinker Bell nervously followed him, eyeing the torch uneasily. She didn't like this one bit. It was then that several Heartless suddenly sprung up in a circle around the torch, yellow eyes glowing maliciously. They weren't just any Heartless though.

"Anti me's," Sora breathed, recognizing them instantly from his time on Captain Hook's Pirate ship. There were ten in total. "Tinker Bell! Go and find Riku! Quick! I can't take these on by myself!"

Tinker Bell nodded, taking off quickly and leaving Sora alone to deal with the Heartless.

_**Why aren't you running?**_Roxas demanded as Sora pulled out Oblivion.

_I can't leave these things to roam the Academy! They're dangerous! I can barely take one on!_

_**Sora!**_

ZYZYZY

Riku was tailing Kairi and Ichijo as they walked through a park, rather bored with the entire situation. It wasn't like he wanted anything bad to happen but a little excitement would be nice.

He whirled around when frantic bells sounded right behind his ear, surprised to see Tinker Bell flitting around him.

"Tink? What are you doing?" Riku hissed, shooting a glance at Kairi.

Kairi had heard the bells as did Ichijo and they were now staring at them.

"Riku? Why are you here? And what's going on?"

Tinker Bell pointed towards the Academy frantically, tugging at Riku's shirt to try and get him to follow her.

"Riku-san? Is something wrong?" Ichijo called.

"It's Sora! I think he's in trouble!" Riku shouted.

"Oh my god! Ichijo, I have to leave. I'm sorry," Kairi apologized quickly, racing to Riku's side.

"Should I come with you?" Ichijo asked worriedly.

"Just leave this to us," Kairi ordered. "Come on Riku!"

Quickly, the pair took off back towards the Academy. Tinker Bell clung to Riku's neck as he ran, his fear of Sora being hurt spurring him on faster than normal. Kairi easily kept pace with him, scared to death for Sora's safety.

When they reached the Moon Dormitory, Tinker Bell quickly led them into the tunnel, flitting down as fast as she could until she reached the door, shocked to see that it had some how been slammed shut.

Riku drew Way to Dawn without thinking and just slashed through the door without hesitation. What he saw shocked him. Sora was up against the wall, bleeding heavily from countless wounds as several Anti-Soras circled closer and closer to him. After quick count he realized there were seven.

"What the hell is this?" Zero demanded from behind them.

"How are you here?" Riku demanded.

"I'll explain later," Zero growled. "Right now, your friend is in trouble.

"Sora! Potion! Catch!" Riku shouted, throwing a potion in his direction.

Sora slashed one of the Heartless out of the way, catching the potion and quickly using it as Riku, Kairi, and Zero rushed into the room.

Kairi quickly engaged one of the Heartless, struggling to block all of its swipes when suddenly, a bullet sliced through it, knocking it to the ground and making it vanish. She shot a glance at Zero who had already turned his attention away from her, concentrating instead on the others in the room.

He quickly began firing again; knocking down two more that had been heading for the unprotected Sora and another that had been going to attack Riku from behind. Riku and Sora hurriedly finished off the last three before Sora collapsed to the ground, panting in exhaustion.

"Kairi! Cast Curaga!" Riku ordered.

Kairi rushed over, quickly casting the spell and sighing in relief when Sora's wounds closed up.

"Thanks guys…" Sora panted, rolling onto his back as he tried to regain his breath. "Thank you Tinker Bell."

Tinker Bell whirled around him, fretting at him in a series of angry bells.

"Will someone please explain to me what just?" Zero demanded, eyes narrowed.

"How did you know we were here?" Riku asked, ignoring his question.

"I saw you and Kairi running towards the Moon Dormitory so of course I checked it out. Now answer my questions!"

"Those Heartless," Sora panted. "They are replicas of me that Riku created a long time ago. They're made of darkness and they are really strong."

Riku winced. "Sorry Sora. I wasn't the one who made them attack you."

Sora grinned. "I know that. But sometimes, the Anti-me takes me over. Can't control it. Just happens."

Riku briefly recalled several times it had happened when they were on the World that Never Was.

Sora extended a hand to Riku. "Help me up."  
Riku hauled him off the ground.

"Well…as interesting as this was, I'm going to have to give you three a detention for being in the Moon Dormitory," Zero informed them, not feeling even the slightest bit sorry.

"What? Sora would've died if we hadn't helped him!" Kairi exclaimed.

"Blame him for being here in the first place," Zero said calmly.

"You can't do this," Sora said. "Let us talk to the Headmaster."

"Talk to me. I want to know what's going on, right now," Zero ordered.

"Fine," Sora sighed.

"What?" Riku cried. "Sora, you can't!"

"It would be easier to search for the Keyhole if we didn't have to worry about Yuki or Zero finding us, right?" Sora asked.

"Keyhole?" Zero asked.

"If I lock the Keyhole with this," Sora started, indicating his Keyblade, "Then the Heartless will stop coming."

"The Heartless wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for that freaking Ethics teacher," Riku growled.

"Yagari-sama?" Zero breathed, eyes wide. _Why would my old master create these…things?_

"Yes, your precious teacher decided to create something he couldn't control," Riku hissed.

"And now Kaname is trying to control them," Kairi added.

"But if we find the Keyhole, it solves all of our problems," Sora told him.

Zero stared at them, trying to take it all in. _So…they aren't going to cause trouble…they're here to help us…_

"Fine…I'll talk to Yuki and we won't bug you anymore. But I'm going to have a talk with the Headmaster about this…and I think I might just kill Kaname," Zero muttered, fists clenching at the thought of the other vampire.

"No killing, please," Kairi begged. "Not unless we have no other choice."

"Fine. I'm leaving and I'm going to pretend I saw nothing," Zero said. _And I'm going to have a talk with my old master._

He left before the others could say anything else.

"So tired," Sora murmured.

"I think you're going to scar a bit," Kairi said apologetically. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine…but I wanna go to bed," Sora muttered, slumping against Riku.

Tinker Bell silently slipped back into Sora's pocket and into her charm as Riku picked Sora up and led the way out of the tunnel.

ZYZYZY

Zero waited calmly outside the Yagari's classroom door as the vampires strolled out of it. As soon as they were gone, he stalked inside, eyes narrowed as he confronted his former master.

"Zero…what are you doing here? I thought we came to an agreement. I won't kill you unless you go out of control," Yagari said, running a hand through messy black locks and pushing them away from his face. "What more is there to discuss?"  
"Why did you create the Heartless?" Zero demanded, cutting right to the chase.

"So that's why you're here. Well, it seemed like a good thing to have on my side in case I couldn't take you down myself. That and I wanted to get rid of that pure blood brat without getting the blame," Yagari replied easily, leaning against the wall.

"Well now thanks to you the Heartless are attacking innocent kids and Kaname is finding out how to control them," Zero hissed.

"My apologies. But I don't care. Riku can clean up the mess for me," Yagari told him.

Zero looked away angrily. "Fine. I'm leaving."

"Good. Your vampire stench was annoying me."

Zero knew better than to react so instead he stalked out of the room, slamming the door shut on his way out. Yuki was outside when he emerged into the night air.

"Is something wrong, Zero?" Yuki asked.

"I'm fine. But I found out what those three were here for," Zero told her, leaning up against the stone wall.

"What?" she asked.

"They're here to get rid of the Heartless Yagari created," Zero answered, trying to keep his anger under the surface.

"Your old master?" Yuki exclaimed.

"Yeah…and one other thing," Zero said uneasily, not sure of how to break it to Yuki. "Kaname…wants control of the Heartless. I don't know why but…he does."  
Yuki stared at him, chewing her lip. She had noticed something was a little off about Kaname lately. He had seemed less calm and down to earth and more…crazy.

"I see." She glanced back at Zero, sighing when she saw his eyes were glowing red. "Zero…do you need more blood?"

Zero glanced sharply at her. "Yes. But I'm not going to take it from you. I'll use blood tablets."

"They make you sick Zero. Just drink from me," Yuki begged. "I don't mind."

Zero sighed before grabbing her shoulders, yanking her forward and sinking his fangs into her without a second thought. Yuki winced at the initial bite. It always hurt at first but then it always gave way to a sort of pleasurable feeling that she never minded nearly as much.

He drank from her greedily and she felt her hands stroke up his back before curling in his silver tresses, yanking him closer. Zero's tongue flicked out to catch some of the dripping blood that had slipped past his lips and Yuki shivered. But before anything else could happen, he drew away, wiping the rest of the blood away with his finger and lightly flicking his tongue across it.

Yuki rubbed at the fang marks self consciously, drawing a small roll of bandages from her pocket and wrapping them loosely over neck, tying it at one end to look like a bow.

"I'm sorry I have to keep doing this. I don't like hurting you."

"You aren't hurting me, Zero," Yuki protested.

"You wince when I bite you," he argued.

"It hurts at first," Yuki said, blushing. "And then it starts to feel good."

Zero's eyes widened. "I…"

"Um…I have to go patrol more!" Yuki said quickly before scurrying off as the blush overwhelmed her face. _What was I thinking, saying that? Ugh. Now I probably freaked him out or something. That's just great._


	7. Chapter 7

"Owwie," Sora whined when Riku set him down on his bed. "I ache everywhere."

"Stop whining Sora. Just be thankful you're okay," Riku sighed, sitting down on his own bed and turning towards Sora.

"I'm glad Tinker Bell was with me. Other wise you guys would've never known," Sora said, shivering slightly at the thought.

"I couldn't stand it if you died," Riku murmured quietly.

Sora stared at him. "I feel the same way about you Riku. You're my other half."

Riku scoffed. "Am not. Roxas is."

"I don't mean like that, Riku. I just…don't really know actually," Sora muttered. "I just know I need you."

Riku stared at him. "I feel the same way."

Sora sat up, wincing as he did so. "Riku…um…do you think that maybe…you might uh…"

"Be gay?" Riku finished, not looking at him.

"Er…yeah," Sora mumbled, scratching the back of his head.

_**Smooth Sora,**_Roxas joked.

_Roxas…shut up._

"I don't know."

"I…think I am," Sora muttered. "Are you mad?"

Of course he wasn't mad! He was ecstatic! His heart was trying to pound its way out of his chest he was so happy!

"No. Why would I Sora?" Riku asked. _It means I have a chance. _

"I just…I don't know," Sora admitted. "Guess I'm making a big deal out of nothing, huh?"  
"It seems that way," Riku said, shooting him a small smile. "Get some sleep."

"Okay, Riku."

ZYZYZY

"What have you found out?" Kaname asked as Ichijo entered his room.

"Well…she's barely giving me any information. All I was able to get out of her was that if no one is controlling the Heartless, they go after the Keyblade wielders," Ichijo told him, sitting down across from him.

"It doesn't matter. I'll figure it out myself. She obviously has no idea," Kaname muttered, dismissing it with a wave of his hand.

Ichijo didn't know what to say at this. Kaname was acting strange. Usually he was more manipulative and calm, collected. But now he seemed ruthless and almost crazy with the thought of gaining control of the Heartless. _What's happened to you, Kaname-sama?_

ZYZYZY

Sora groaned when Riku tapped him on the shoulder, signaling him it was time to get up.

"Riku. I am not going to school today. I can't walk," Sora moaned, rolling onto his back and looking at him.

Riku's lips twitched into a small smile. "I wasn't going to make you go. I was just going to tell you that I'm leaving for class."

"Oh…sorry," Sora mumbled.

Before he could think about it, Riku leaned down and gently kissed Sora's forehead. "Feel better Sora."

Sora blushed as Riku left and then pulled the covers back over his head, intent on falling back to sleep.

ZYZYZY

"Kairi, I need to talk to you," Riku said quietly as they walked to lunch.

"What is it?" she asked, brushing her hair out of her eyes so she could look at him better.

"I…think…I'm in love with someone," Riku sighed, feeling a little awkward talking to Kairi about this. But she was one of his best friends.

"Riku! You can't fall in love with someone here! We have to leave as soon as we've found the Keyhole!" Kairi hissed, eyes widening.

"Um…it's not anyone here. Well they're here but-"

"Riku are you in love with me?" Kairi demanded, stopping and putting a hand on her hip, staring at him with deadly serious.

"No! No offense Kairi but-"

"So you're in love with Sora," Kairi said, smiling knowingly.

"Ugh…yes! Yes I am!" Riku moaned, slamming his head against the wall next to her.

"Riku! Calm down and don't beat yourself up…please don't. Head injuries aren't good," Kairi sighed, gently tugging him away from the wall and standing in front of him.

"What do I do?" he asked quietly, staring into her eyes as if the answer was there.

"Tell him, obviously," Kairi answered.

"Last night…he told me he was gay," Riku said quietly.

"So what's the problem?"  
"Well he wouldn't know if he was gay unless he loves someone," Riku sighed, glancing down at the ground.

"Idiot. He obviously loves you," Kairi said, laughing lightly.

Riku stared at her in shock. "Are you insane? Why would he? I'm poisoned! I gave into the darkness and-"

"Riku! You gave in, yeah. But you got free didn't you? You beat Ansem and you conquered the darkness in your heart so that you could save Sora! That's why he loves you! Because he knows you would do anything for him! Don't you understand that?"

Riku didn't say anything as her words sunk in. "You're right Kairi. Tell the teachers I got sick. I have to go talk to Sora."

"Alright Riku," Kairi said, patting his shoulder.

"Thanks Kairi!"

He hugged her quickly before tearing off down the hall.

_**Sure you aren't jealous of Riku for being the one Sora wants?**_Namine asked.

_Not at all. They are meant for each other,_ Kairi told her as she continued on to lunch.

_**Don't worry, Kairi. I'm sure you'll fall in love eventually.**_

_Thanks, Nami._

ZYZYZY

Riku opened their door, shutting it behind him with a slam that startled Sora out of sleep.

"Riku? What are you doing? It's still school time," Sora said sleepily as he moved the covers off of him.

"Sora, school is in the back of my mind right now," Riku told him, dropping his things on his bed and sitting down next to Sora.

Sora sat up to give him more room, rubbing his eyes sleepily. "So? What is it?"

Riku stared at him for several heartbeats, wondering if he could really say what he wanted to say. Kairi had sounded so sure that Sora was in love him…

"Sora…I love you," Riku said quietly.

Sora blinked once. "Am I dreaming?"  
Riku smiled. "Why? Has this happened in your dreams before? I feel honored."

"Riku…are you serious?" Sora muttered.

"Yes. It took me awhile but-"

Sora silenced him with his lips. _I've been getting cut off a lot today,_ Riku thought as he gently put his hands on Sora's slim hips. _But I don't mind this._

Sora tasted better than he could've ever imagined. He was perfect. The feel of him in his arms coupled with the hands that clutched at his shirt and the slight tilt of the head as Sora deepened the kiss brought him to a high he never wanted to come down from.

"I love you too, Riku," Sora breathed, pulling away and pressing his forehead to Riku's.

"Good," Riku replied, gently kissing him again. "Do I have to go back to school?"  
"You better not," Sora answered, smiling.

"Then move over," Riku ordered, standing up as Sora quickly shifted under the covers. Riku slipped in beside him and wrapped his arms tenderly around Sora's waist. "Go to sleep."

"It's easier. With you here, I mean."

"I love you."

"I love you too."


	8. Chapter 8

**The Bleach Arc will be rewritten soon.**

"I've done it," Kaname said quietly.

"Done what?" Ichijo asked as he slipped inside Kaname's room.

Kaname looked up at him, grinning. "I can control the Heartless now."

"You…what?" Ichijo asked, not quite believing what he was hearing. "How did you figure that one out?"

"I remembered what Riku said, about having to give over to the darkness. So I let my rage and hatred for Zero consume me. And now I can do this."

As he spoke, several Shadows appeared out of the ground, followed by two Neoshadows. Ichijo drew back, scared and fascinated all at once.

"But Kaname…what are you going to do now?"

"I thought we had gone over this. I'm going to destroy the humans. Starting with Zero."

ZYZYZY

_I can't do this. I can't let Kaname do this,_ Ichijo thought, racing towards his and Senri's room.

When he burst through, Senri was already up. "I heard you leave. What's wrong?"

"Kaname…he's going to kill Zero," Ichijo said. "I've got to tell the Headmaster."

"Why not just stop him?" Senri asked calmly.

"He has control of the Heartless," Ichijo told him quietly.

"How?" Senri demanded sharply. "Is it because of the information you gave to him?"

"No. It's not Senri. He found out by himself. Just…stay here and stay safe. I'll be back soon."

He lightly kissed Senri's lips before dashing out of the room and leaving Senri alone. _Ichijo works way too hard sometimes,_ Senri thought.

ZYZYZY

"Headmaster!"

Ichijo rushed inside the Headmaster's room without knocking, too worried too care.

"Ichijo-san. What are you doing up?" the Headmaster asked, pushing his glasses back into place and standing up.

"Kaname…he's gained control of the Heartless," Ichijo said, trying to remain calm.

"I…what?"

"He wants to get rid of humans," Ichijo explained. "He gained control of the Heartless so we can't disobey him either."

"Go find those three new students!" the Headmaster barked. "Explain the situation to them. I'm putting the students of the Day Class in lock down in the basement!"

Ichijo nodded his understanding before vanishing from the room.

ZYZYZY

"Riku! Sora!" a voice shouted outside the door.

Riku woke up blearily. "Who is it?"

"It's Ichijo. I have orders from the Headmaster. You must listen to me," he begged.

Riku quickly slid out of the bed as Sora sat up, opening the door. "What's going on?"

Ichijo stepped in quickly. "It's Kaname. He-"

"Got control of the Heartless," Riku finished. "Easy to guess if the Headmaster knows. Sora…can you fight?"  
Sora stood up shakily, wincing as his old wounds throbbed painfully. "I'll manage."

"You can't fight like that. You can hardly move," Riku said.

"You mean…you can't fight the Heartless?" Ichijo asked.

"I didn't say that! Kairi and I can fight. Sora can't. He's too hurt," Riku said.

"I can fight Riku. I've been in worse situations. I beat Xemnas for crying out loud!" Sora argued.

"Who took the blow for you multiple times and saved you when Xemnas was draining the life out of you?" Riku demanded. "Me. You wouldn't have won without my help. Now Ichijo. I trust you about as far as I can throw you. But I need you to take Sora to the Headmaster and protect him, no matter what."

Ichijo nodded. "I can do that. And if you're going after Kaname-"

"Riku…what's going on?" Zero demanded, appearing behind Ichijo. "We're going into lock down so I'm guessing it has something to do with you three."

"Kaname has control of the Heartless," Ichijo told him.

"Damn it!" Zero growled, drawing his gun as if expected Kaname to appear any second.

"He wants to kill you, Zero," Ichijo said quietly. "I think it would be best if you went with everyone else."

"He has nothing to worry about if I'm with him," Yuki said as she strode down the hallway towards them.

"Yuki! What are you talking about? Why aren't you with everyone else?" Zero demanded.

"If you fight, I fight," she said determinedly.

"Neither of you should," Riku said as he picked up Sora, handing him off to Ichijo.

"If you leave Kaname to us, you guys keep the Heartless occupied," Zero told him.

"Deal," Riku agreed. "Ichijo. If Sora is hurt in any way, shape, or form when I return, it's your head."

Ichijo nodded his understanding. "Sorry Sora. Orders are orders."

"You better be careful, Riku," Sora said, chewing his lip.

"I will. I'm not leaving you anytime soon. Where is Kaname now?" Riku asked.

"Well…either in his room or the underground tunnel," Ichijo answered. "But…you should know. The majority of the vampires agree with Kaname in getting rid of the humans and if Kaname dies it's going to be hard to keep the others under control."

"Take my summons, Riku," Sora ordered. "They should protect you, at least a little bit."

He dug several charms out of his pockets, dropping them in Riku's hand.

"Thanks Sora."

"Just be careful."

ZYZYZY

"Riku? Where's Sora?" Kairi asked.

"He can't fight," Riku answered as they tore across the school grounds, heading for the Moon Dormitory.

"So where are we going to look for Kaname?" Zero asked.

"The tunnel. The Anti-Soras appeared there so I'm guessing if he's going to control the Heartless, it will be from there," Riku said.

Riku quickly hauled the door open and the other three rushed through, heading for the door beneath the stairs.

"It's locked!" Kairi called, tugging on it.

"Tap it with your Keyblade," Riku ordered as he headed towards them.

"Oh, right," Kairi muttered. _Not thinking correctly. _

Once she had the door unlocked Riku darted through, leading the rest of them all the way through the tunnel and into the gigantic room. The entire room was lit up this time by flickering torches all along the edge and a throne was displayed at the back of the room.

"Kaname," Zero hissed.

Kaname regarded them coolly from the throne. "I see you've made it. I knew that wimp Ichijo would go running for it after I told him. So I came down here."  
"We're going to kill you," Yuki told him firmly. "I won't let you harm the others."

"Yuki-chan. Can you really hurt me? The one you've been in love with your entire life?" As he spoke, he waved his hand. All at once, the room was filled with Neoshadows and Anti-Soras.

"Shit," Riku breathed, counting the Anti-Soras. Fourteen of them.

"Yuki," Zero breathed. "Can you handle Kaname? I can help them with the Anti-Soras."

"Yes. I'll be fine."

Zero quickly fired several bullets into two Anti-Soras and the fight began. Riku and Kairi went back to back, battling off the Anti-Soras as they continued to batter at them. In all honesty, Zero was handling the Anti-Soras better then them. With only one bullet he could kill them and in no time at all, there were only Neoshadows left.

"Now this I can deal with," Riku said, slicing Way to Dawn right through one of them.

"Riku! Potion! Please!" Kairi ordered, ducking under a Neoshadow and then slicing another down the middle. Her shoulder was bleeding heavily from a former wound.

Riku seized a potion out of his pocket and threw it to her seconds before a hoard of Defenders appeared, their menacing shields leering at them with red eyes.

"Watch out for the fire!" Riku ordered, seconds before almost the entire area was bathed in fire from the deadly shields.

Kairi rolled behind one, sinking her Keyblade into its back before bashing it in the head. Zero darted away from them once he found they had control of the situation, turning his attention instead to Yuki and Kaname.

Yuki swung her staff at Kaname's head, struggling not to falter when he easily blocked it and tried to push her back. Her feet slid backwards and she finally gave in, jumping back to dodge the slice of his claws. She leapt for again, swinging the staff at him like a bat and catching his side, sending him crashing into the wall before lunging again, going for another stab.

He caught the staff in his hand, jerking it out of her grasp and slamming it into her shoulder, easily knocking her to the ground. As she struggled to her feet she saw Kaname move to swing the staff at her again.

And suddenly Zero was there, taking the blow full on in his gut. He stumbled but didn't fall, for once thankful that he was now a vampire and able to handle their superior strength. Angrily, he let off two bullets, smirking when he caught Kaname once in the thigh and another in his hand.

Kaname hissed and dropped the staff. Before he could pick it up however, Yuki had ducked into a roll, grabbing it as she passed. When she came up behind him she slammed it into his back before sliding it to the left and slamming it into his side again, knocking him to the ground.

Zero quickly saw the opening and fired, cursing when Kaname rolled to the side just in time for the bullet to miss his head. Kaname sent his foot slamming into Yuki's chest and she cried out. Zero's ears picked up a sickening crunch and his eyes darkened.

Kaname didn't spare a second after immobilizing Yuki, turning and springing at Zero. Zero slammed his fist into Kaname's face without a second thought before lashing his foot right into Kaname's side and once again sending him to the ground. He pinned him with his foot and then leveled the gun at his head.

"I can't believe you would hurt Yuki. She loves you and you hurt her," Zero growled. "I'm going to kill you for that."

"I'd like to see you try!" Kaname spat angrily, hands coming up to seize Zero's ankle.

Riku snapped into action, lunging forward and sinking his Keyblade deep into Kaname's chest. He watched as the body became sand, staring, horrified at what he had done. But it didn't matter now.

ZYZYZY

To say the Night Class was in turmoil at Kaname's death was an understatement. They were furious and it took the Vampire Council to keep them in check even though they too wanted to kill anyone in sight for what had been done. Within a week, everything had calmed down and the Night Class was no longer at the Academy. Riku had refused to tell Sora that it was him who had killed Kaname, preferring to keep it a well guarded secret between himself and Kairi.

"We're sorry for screwing up your vampire and human alliance plan," Sora apologized as he, Riku, and Kairi stood in front of the Headmaster's desk.

"No need to apologize. But…have you found the Keyhole yet?" the Headmaster asked.

"Uh…no. We were going to look for it after everything had calmed down. Do you think you could just um…let us search the Moon Dormitory without enrolling us again?" Sora asked. "We want to get this done as quick as possible."

"Go ahead. Please. Just get rid of the Heartless for good," the Headmaster said, close to begging.

"Yes sir," Sora said.

The three of them quickly left the Academy, heading straight for the Moon Dormitory.

"The Keyhole is definitely in that big room," Riku said. "I can feel it."

"How?" Kairi asked, opening the door beneath the stairs for them.

"It's filled with light. It reeks of light," Riku told her.

"I thought only darkness stank," Sora said as they headed down the tunnel.

"Too much darkness or too much light both stink, a lot," Riku informed him.

"Does that mean we stink?" Kairi demanded, eyes narrowed.

"No. You guys both have darkness in your heart. Everyone does, at least a little," Riku said. "I thought you knew that."  
"Oh, we do. I was just joking, Riku," Kairi said, rolling her eyes.

When they reached the room, all of the torches were out. With a quick fire spell from Sora they were lit again, lighting up the entire room.

"Can you locate the Keyhole Riku?" Sora asked.

Riku walked around the room slowly and before long, he stood right before the throne Kaname had sat in.

"It's right under here. I wonder if Kaname even knew that," Riku said as he pushed the throne back.

True to his word, a small keyhole was revealed, barely visible at all. Sora's Keyblade reacted accordingly, the tip lighting up before a beam of light shot straight into the Keyhole, the sound of a locking door echoing around the room.

"Mission accomplished," Sora said. "Finally."

"Not really. We still have other worlds to go to," Riku told him.

"Yeah. Sometimes I wish I wasn't the hero," Sora sighed.

"You poor thing," Riku joked.

"Let's just go guys. Then we can finish everything up and go back to the Islands," Kairi said.

"You know, that sounds really good," Sora said


	9. Chapter 9

**And here we go.**

"So, what are the coordinates?" Sora asked as the Gummi Ship tore out into space.

"Look at them yourself," Riku said, waving the paper in Sora's face.

"Idiot," Sora growled good-naturedly before quickly examining the numbers. "Okay, off we go."

He spun them around to the left and set off at an easy pace, thankful that there weren't any Heartless ships around to distract them.

"So, are you two together now?" Kairi asked, waggling her eyebrows and trying to hold in a laugh as both Riku and Sora flushed bright red. "I'll take that as a yes."  
"Kairi," Sora sighed. "I hope you don't mind that I don't love you. I know you thought we would end up together when we were younger and I don't know if you-"

"I'm not in love with you Sora. Don't flatter yourself," Kairi laughed.

Sora blushed again.

"Well this was a quick ride, the world's right up ahead," Riku said, glad that he was able to change the subject.

"Oh sweet. Here we go!"

Sora pressed the button and suddenly they dropped. Even though she was prepared, Kairi couldn't help but nearly scream her lungs out like last time. They landed in the middle of wide open courtyard and were being openly gaped at by at least fifty shocked faces.

"Great place to land, Sora," Riku muttered as he opened the door, stepping out into the sunlight.

"Sorry Riku," Sora apologized.

"What is going on here?" demanded a firm voice.

The three turned to see a woman dressed in black loose fitting robes and a long white jacket over it. Her eyes were narrowed as she regarded them coolly, hands on her hips. She had short purple hair with longer strands wrapped in white bandages as they fell down her back.

"I uh…" Sora started.

"It doesn't matter. What are the rest of you doing just standing there? Seize them immediately and take them to General Taicho Yamamoto!" the woman barked.

Before they could move, all three were seized by the bystanders who Kairi quickly noted were all wearing similar black robes.

"Where are you going Taicho?" asked one their captors as the woman turned around.

"I am going to go inform General Taicho of the appearance of more intruders in the Seireitei. Just after Kurosaki left too," she grumbled.

And just like that she vanished. Riku shot a worried glance at Sora. An unspoken agreement went through them. Do _not_ underestimate the people here.

RSRSRS

Yamamoto was truly scary, at least in Sora's opinion. Even though he was bent over a huge staff and was very old he had a dangerous aura around him that practically screamed predator.

They were led into a long room with wooden floors, Yamamoto standing at the very front. On either side of him were two rows of people, each one wearing the black robes with the white jacket over it. Sora recognized the woman from before next to Yamamoto.

"Intruders in the Seireitei," Yamamoto said quietly, his voice low and deep. "Well they obviously aren't as strong as before so it will be easy to execute them."

"No disrespect General Taicho Yamamoto but, shouldn't we at least question them?" a man asked.

Sora turned to the man, surprised to see instead of a white jacket like everyone else, it was pink. Judging by his voice, he was very laid back.

"You are correct Shunsui. Where are you from?" Yamamoto demanded, turning to stare straight at Sora.

"Um…I…Riku, am I allowed to say? Didn't King Mickey say-"

"Not to tell. Yeah…we can't tell you," Riku said, loud enough for everyone else to hear. "But General Taicho Yamamoto, would you allow us to have a few words with you alone. I'm afraid my friend here is a little nervous from the hostile feel in the room."

Sora glared at him.

"Absolutely not!" the woman from before snapped. "I refuse to let you three alone with our General Taicho!"

"Peace Soi Fon. I suppose you could. I can handle myself perfectly fine," Yamamoto said. "If the rest of you would please take your leave. I will summon you back momentarily."

Though the others were obviously disgruntled by their orders, they did in fact leave.

"Now speak," Yamamoto ordered.

"Well let me ask you this," Riku started, thinking it would be a better idea if Sora just didn't say anything. It was obvious he was nervous in front of the man. "Have you been having trouble with small black beings lately?"

"I wouldn't say small. And how would you know?" Yamamoto asked dangerously.

"In all honesty General Taicho Yamamoto, I think we are the answer to that problem," Riku informed him. "The three of us are Keyblade wielders. These beings you're having trouble with are called Heartless. Usually the Keyblade is the only thing that is able to harm the Heartless though I suppose it depends on the world."

"Yeah! Because Aladdin could hurt the Heartless and uh…I'll just shut up," Sora mumbled, blushing and scratching the back of his head.

"Anyways. As the Keyblade wielders our goal is to find the Keyhole on each world and lock it. By doing this, the Heartless will disappear," Riku informed him. "So if you would just give us free reign for a week or so-"

"Absolutely not! If you are going to be searching for this Keyhole, I will be separating all three of you and putting you under watch of one of my Taichos," Yamamoto said firmly. "If you want to find this Keyhole, it would be best if you don't argue."

"But only one of us can lock the Keyhole," Riku said. "So if Kairi or I find it you'll have to allow Sora to come with us to lock it."  
"Fine. All of you can come back in now!" Yamamoto ordered.

Almost instantly, the doors opened and the Taichos filed back inside.

"So are we going to execute them?" Soi Fon asked, obviously eager about the possibility of it happening.

"No. I'm assigning one of you to each of them. If they wish to tell you why they are here, they may. You will not pry it out of them no matter what. They will be doing plenty of searching. I have talked to them about what they are searching for and you are not allowed to stop them. If something seems wrong, inform me and I will determine whether it is a danger or not. Am I clear?"

"Hai General Taicho."

The words were said in unison by all of the Taichos in the room though Soi Fon didn't look to happy.

"Kenpachi Zaraki, you will be in charge of Sora," Yamamoto said, motioning for Kenpachi to stand behind Sora.

Sora gulped when a large man detached himself from his line. Scars marred his face and one eye was covered by an eye patch while his black hair was spiked in all directions, small bells dangling from each of them.

"Soi Fon, you will be in charge of Kairi."

"Her?" this was shouted by both Kairi and Soi Fon as they pointed on each other.

"She's obviously a weak brat!" Soi Fon cried.

"I am not weak!" Kairi growled, fists clenching.

Riku and Sora instantly flanked her, eyes narrowed angrily.

"Both of you stop it!" Yamamoto ordered. "As I was saying. Byakuya, you are in charge of Riku."

Riku turned his gaze to the stoic man who walked towards him. His hair was long and black, three metal clamps keeping his bangs back form his face. A greenish blue scarf was wrapped around his neck and his eyes were like ice for all the emotion they showed.

_I can get along with him, easy. He probably doesn't talk,_ Riku thought. _Sora on the other hand…_

_I'm gonna die. He's going to kill me,_ Sora thought, staring at Kenpachi as they walked out of the room. He wore a slightly crazed grin.

_**He's not going to kill you,**_Roxas sighed. _**Just calm down.**_

_Oh! She infuriates me beyond belief! _Kairi thought as she followed Soi Fon out into the daylight.

_**Me too, Kairi. But for now, I think it would be a good idea if you just tried to be nice to her.**_

_Yeah right._

RSRSRS

"So your name is Sora," Kenpachi stated, slowly leading Sora in the direction of the Squad 11 barracks.

"Um…y-yes," Sora stammered, blushing at his stumbling over words.

"I'm Taicho of the 11th Squad. Like it matters."

"Ken-chan!" a voice squealed from behind them.

Sora turned around to see a small child with pink hair rushing towards them. She jumped with surprising strength and speed, landing on Kenpachi's back and wrapping her arms around his neck, feet dangling down his back.

"This is my Fukutaicho, Yachiru," Kenpachi said.

"But she's so young!" Sora cried.

"Believe me, she's strong. Anyways, this is our dojo," Kenpachi told him, stopping in front of a sliding door.

Sora could hear the sounds of intense fighting going on beyond the door and suddenly the wall behind him broke, a man crashing through it and landing on the ground unconscious.

"Wuss," Kenpachi muttered, opting for the new hole as an entrance to the dojo.

Nervously, Sora followed after him. His eyes widened when he saw at least twenty fighters going at each other with real swords without holding back in the slightest. He was surprised at their ferocity with each other.

"Aren't they all on the same squad?" Sora asked nervously.

"Yeah. So?"

"They look like they're going to kill each other," Sora muttered, chewing his lip.

"Yeah…so?" Kenpachi repeated. "Don't tell me you're a wuss too?"

"What! No! I'm not!" Sora protested.

"Ikkaku! Get over here," Kenpachi ordered.

A man leapt away from his opponent, disappearing and then reappearing right beside Kenpachi. He was completely bald with bright green eyes, dashes of red arching up from the corners of his eyes. A bloody sword was grasped in his hand and Sora shot a glance at his sparring partner, noticing that he had a gash in his shoulder, blood dripping onto the floor.

"Explain to him how things work around here and then spar with him," Kenpachi ordered.

"But I need to-" Sora started.

"It can wait," Kenpachi interrupted.

"But-"

"Ken-chan said it can wait, so it can wait," Yachiru ordered, suddenly appearing on Kenpachi's shoulder.

"I…okay," Sora said, finally giving in.

Ikkaku grinned at him, clapping him on the shoulder and leading him outside and forcing him to sit down on the small patch of grass outside of the dojo.

"Alright. I'm Ikkaku. Duh. Now, I'm guessing you have no idea how things work here, so let me break it down," Ikkaku told him. "There are thirteen squads. This is Squad Eleven. Just as a heads up, we're all bloodthirsty."

"I uh…noticed," Sora muttered.

"Anyways. Our swords have spirits within them," Ikkaku continued. "There are basically three stages. The way it is now, released form, and bankai."

"Um…I'm clueless," Sora said, scratching the back of his head.

Ikkaku grinned. "Well, I can show you the released form but…my bankai is strictly a secret. You won't get to see it. Only Taichos are supposed to know bankai but…well…I'm power hungry, what can I say?"

"Can I see the released form?" Sora asked, eager despite himself to see these new powers.

"Alright. Extend, Hozukimaru," Ikkaku ordered, holding his sword out.

Sora stared in shock as the sword flashed once before turning into a long thin staff, a small red tassel at the end.

"That is so cool!" he exclaimed.

Ikkaku smiled at his eagerness. "But anyways. I'm going to take a guess here and say you're here to help with those weird things that have been running around here lately."

"Um…they're called Heartless," Sora answered. "And you're right."

"So what do you fight with?" Ikkaku asked, obviously doubtful at Sora's strength.

Sora got to his feet and held his hand out, summoning his Keyblade in the form of Oblivion.

"This is a Keyblade. By changing the keychain I can change the shape and form, giving myself different powers and boosts. That and I can use it to channel magic," Sora explained.

"Interesting," Ikkaku murmured, running a finger along the edge of Oblivion.

"Wanna see the other ones?" Sora asked excitedly.

"Couldn't hurt," Ikkaku said with a shrug.

_**Show him Bond of Flames. **_

"Roxas wants you to see Bond of Flames so I guess that's next," Sora told him, smiling.

"Roxas?" Ikkaku questioned.

"Oh. Um…ignore that!" Sora said brightly. "Well, here's Bond of Flames."

As he spoke, Oblivion disappeared only to become Bond of Flames. After Sora had shown about half of his Keyblades to Ikkaku, Ikkaku stood up.

"Alright Spaz. Pick a weapon. We're sparring," Ikkaku ordered.

"Yes sir!"

RSRSRS

"I hate you," Kairi stated.

"The feeling is mutual, believe me, priss," Soi Fon countered.

"Oh shut up. I am not weak," Kairi snapped as they entered the Squad Two dojo.

"Really now? Just try and attack me," Soi Fon ordered.

Kairi summoned her Keyblade and lunged only to have Soi Fon vanish and find herself pinned to the ground with her arms pinned behind her back.

"Wow, you're worse than I originally thought. You're technique was full of flaws and so many openings I lost count," Soi Fon sneered, not letting her up.

"Shut up! I just started."

"Then why do you talk so big?" Soi Fon demanded. "I'm sure you're not fooling those little boy toys of yours."

"What? Sora and Riku are _not_ my boy toys," Kairi protested, wiggling hopelessly against Soi Fon's restraining hands.

"Really?"

"They're dating each other," Kairi growled, struggling more and more to break free. "Now let me go!"

Soi Fon let her go, moving to stand in front of her as she dragged herself to her feet. Kairi knew that it had been a bad idea to talk bad in front of Soi Fon but she hated being bested by someone else.

"How did you do that?" Kairi asked, swallowing her pride and deciding that it would be a good idea to at least learn something from her.

"What?" Soi Fon asked, still glowering at her.

"Disappear like that."

"It's called shunpo. I'm not surprised you don't know it," Soi Fon sniffed.

"Teach me. If I want to get stronger, this is the only way," Kairi said determinedly.

Soi Fon grinned. "Well, it looks like you aren't as big of a prissy brat than I originally thought. Fine, I'll teach you. But you better know I am not going easy on you."

"I can deal with that."


	10. Chapter 10

_**Sora!**_

Sora jerked in surprise, leaving an opening for Ikkaku to smack him firmly in the head with his staff.

_What is it Roxas?_ Sora demanded, sensing the obvious distress in Roxas's voice.

Ikkaku stared at him. "Um…Sora?"

"Shut up for a second!" Sora ordered.

_**Axel! I can feel him!**_

_What are you talking about?_

_**He's here! Somewhere in this world! I don't know how but…I feel him! Sora! Look for him! Please!**_

"Ikkaku! I need to go. Now. I can't explain it but…I just need to go!" Sora begged.

Ikkaku shrugged. "Alright. Go on. I'll tell Kenpachi."

"But he's supposed to follow me."

"Like he cares. Just get going," Ikkaku ordered, waving his hand in dismissal.

Sora nodded and sprinted away from him. _Where? Where do I go?_

_**Just stop! Let me concentrate!**_

Sora slid to a halt, waiting patiently as Roxas tried to find away to identify where he felt Axel.

_How do you feel him?_ Sora couldn't help but ask.

_**It's just a pulsing energy and it feels like him…I don't know how to explain it but…head left. And keep going left until I tell you to stop.**_

Sora ducked to the left, tearing across the grass and onto the concrete, wincing at the loud and echoing sound his shoes made as he ran. But at the moment he didn't care. If Axel was alive he would do anything to reunite him with Roxas. He did feel partly responsible for their separation, after all.

_**See that alley way up there?**_Roxas asked as Sora raced past another row of buildings. _**Go right. We'll find him there.**_

Sora whipped to the right, stopping at what he saw. Axel was there all right. He was slumped against the wall, head hanging between his knees and his panting was audible, fists clenching and unclenching. He wore the black cloak, the trademark of Organization XIII as well as the gloves and boots.

"Axel?" Sora breathed.

_**Axel!**_

Axel glanced up, green eyes flickering in and out of focus. "Roxas?"

"It's Sora," Sora said softly, slowly approaching him. "Roxas is with me though."

"Sora…did you save Kairi?" Axel whispered, staring up at him when Sora came to stand in front of him.

"Kairi is fine. But how are you here?" Sora asked, crouching down to his level.

An all too familiar smirk crossed Axel's lips. "The funny thing is, I don't remember."

_**Axel…**_

The sigh was one full of love and even thought Sora knew it wasn't him feeling it, he couldn't help but lean forward and hug Axel tightly.

"Roxas misses you," Sora whispered.

"He better. I went through hell for him."

_**Axel, I love you.**_

"He says he loves you," Sora said, pulling back to look at him closely. "I'm guessing you love him too."

Axel smirked again before letting his head fall back against the wall, taking in another shuddering breath.

"I'm so weak. I can't even stand up," Axel admitted. "I don't know why though."

"I'll help you. I need to get you somewhere safe."

Axel nodded. "Alright."

ARARAR

Riku was bored. Honest to God bored. Byakuya hadn't said a word since they had arrived at the Squad 6 dojo, which was empty. Byakuya had instead left, giving him a silent command with his eyes. _Stay here or die._

So here he was, leaning up against the dojo wall and staring off into space. He wondered how Sora was faring with Kenpachi. The man had appeared frightening, almost as though he were mad or something. And Kairi…he didn't even want to think about it.

"So you are the newbie," a voice said from the doorway.

"Finally! A cure for my boredom! I mean, yeah."

Riku stood up, quickly scanning the newcomer. He had bright red hair that was held into a ponytail by a leather band and a strip of metal circled around his forehead like a head band. Intricate black tattoos could barely be made out against his neck and along the sides of his face giving him a somewhat intimidating look. He grinned at Riku.

"I like you already. I am the Fukutaicho of Squad 6. Byakuya is boring so don't worry, I understand."

"Alright. So um…what are you doing here?" Riku asked.

"I am here to explain how things work in the Seireitei," he said. "By the way, I'm Renji. Anyways. There are 13 Squads. This is Squad 6 and they are all made up of Shinigami. We have the ability to send people from Earth to the Soul Society after they die if they do not pass along to this life. We also defend the Seireitei and all of that stuff," Renji explained.

"Sounds complicated. In all honesty, I don't really care all too much," Riku admitted.

"Alright! Wanna spar? I've been bored for the past couple hours and Ikkaku is busy. And Yumichika is off being gay or whatever the hell he does," Renji said.

Riku laughed lightly. "Alright."

ARARAR

"Spiritual Pressure?" Kairi asked.

Soi Fon sighed, getting ready to explain again. "It's basically energy that you radiate. If you focus enough you can use it to speed up your movements, like what I did."

"So uh…how to I focus it?" Kairi asked. "God I feel dumb."

Soi Fon smirked. "Well, for now, we'll just meditate. Sit down and get comfortable."

Kairi did as she ordered, shaking her arms to relax her muscles.

"Now close your eyes and just try and empty your mind. Forget all your worries. But them to the back of your mind."

Kairi was surprised at how gentle Soi Fon's voice became as she spoke and smiled lightly, feeling more and more tension drain out of her as Soi Fon continued to speak. By the time Soi Fon had stopped she was completely relaxed and strangely aware of everything around her, her ears pinpointing each and every sound she heard.

_Wow…she's catching on amazingly quick,_ Soi Fon thought. Suddenly, a flare of spiritual pressure sent her to her feet, whirling around to try and pin point it.

"What is it?" Kairi demanded, scrambling to her feet as well.

"Someone has arrived without permission in the Seireitei again. Follow me, if you can," Soi Fon ordered, breaking into a sprint.

It was fast, but not so fast that Kairi couldn't keep up if she ran. Soi Fon led her straight to the source, skidding to a halt when she saw the boy, Sora, from earlier with his arm around a thin and wiry man's waist, the man's arm looped around his shoulder as he slowly dragged himself forward, faltering every couple of steps.

"Axel?" Kairi gasped.

Sora stopped, glancing up when he heard them. Axel looked up as well, grinning tiredly when he saw her.

"So you are alive. I'm glad," Axel said, slumping even more against Sora as his strength began to wane again.

"Who are you?" Soi Fon demanded.

"He's a friend," Sora answered hurriedly. "He's not going to cause anyone harm, I promise."

"I can see that. He's way too weak," Soi Fon commented. "Set him down. I'll call Squad 4 to take care of him and check for injuries."

Before anyone could say anything, she was gone.

"Since when did you get on such good terms with her?" Sora asked, helping Axel lean up against a wall.

"We sorted some things out I guess you could say," Kairi told him. "Now…how did you get here, Axel?"

"I have no idea," Axel admitted, rubbing his temples before sliding a hand down his face. "But I am exhausted."

"How is Roxas taking this?" Kairi asked, turning to Sora.

Sora laughed. "He's still recovering from the shock a bit."

They were interrupted when they were suddenly surrounded by five of the Shinigami, one of which was wearing the Taicho haori. She had a gentle face with kind eyes and long black hair that was braided in the front instead of the back.

"Well. I see one of your other friends has arrived," she said quietly, motioning for a dark haired boy to step forward. "Hanataro, can you please check the basics?"

"Hai Taicho!" he said eagerly, kneeling down beside Axel.

Unohana turned to Kairi and Sora. "So what is the situation?"

"Well…he was supposed to have died…a pretty long time ago. And suddenly Ro-I felt him," Sora explained, wincing inwardly at his slip up. "I don't know how but well…we've always been good friends."

"Hm…"

Before Unohana could say anything else, however, Hanataro stood up.

"Everything is okay Taicho! Just severe exhaustion. And a missing heart beat," Hanataro informed her.

"How is a missing heart beat okay?" one of the other healers exclaimed.

Hanataro flinched.

"Funny," Axel said bitterly, drawing everyone's attention to him and away from Hanataro. "And when I thought I could finally have a heart again if I survived. I suppose Kingdom Hearts doesn't love me that much."

Sora looked crestfallen as he crouched down beside Axel.

_**Hug him. Kiss him. Do something to let him know I love him, please Sora!**_Roxas begged.

"This is from Roxas," Sora whispered, leaning forward and gently catching Axel's lips in his.

Axel sighed and then pushed him away. "Don't. I feel like I'm betraying him."

"But he-"

"Is you, I know," Axel sighed.

"I'm confused," Unohana said. "Would you mind explaining, please?"

"Not here. Not in front of everyone," Sora said.

"Sora! You can't tell her! We aren't supposed to-" Kairi started.

"But what if she can do something?" Sora asked.

Unohana gave a stern nod at her squad and they quickly vanished from sight. "Alright. Now please explain."

"You might want to sit down," Axel told her. "It takes awhile."

Unohana smiled and did as he suggested, Kairi doing the same.

"I am a Nobody," Axel started. "I do not have a heart. My body was strong enough to prevail over what we call the darkness. The darkness is made up of the dark feelings within ones heart and when those dark feelings consume them, they are swallowed. But for some odd reason, my body prevailed."

"But your heart didn't," Unohana finished, catching on quickly.

"Precisely. And my feelings were lost with it. Now I only have vague memories of what it is like to feel," Axel sighed.

_**That's not true! I know you loved me! And I know I loved you! Axel-**_

"Roxas, please!" Sora hissed.

"And Roxas is who?" Unohana asked.

"Roxas is a Nobody as well," Kairi continued. "Sora unlocked his heart about three years ago. In doing so, he became what we call Heartless. Those are the beings that have been attacking the Seireitei. Well, for every Heartless, there is a Nobody. Only in rare cases to Nobodies take on human form."

"Roxas," Sora started. "Took a human form. While I was traveling, somethings happened and my memories had to be taken apart and put back together again. But I couldn't wake up because my other half, Roxas was missing."

"He was with me," Axel added. "But Roxas was eventually caught and forced back into Roxas."

"So now he talks to me. We're two different people in the same body," Sora finished. "He and Axel were…well…lovers. And when he felt Axel's presence he wanted me to go find him."

"So here we are," Axel said.

"This is very interesting," Unohana said after a moment's pause. "It is unlike anything I've ever heard of. So…what was it that you thought I could help with?"

"Well…I'm guessing you're a healer, right?" Sora asked.

"Yes, I am."

"I was thinking that maybe…you could um…separate Roxas and I somehow without me um…dying," Sora muttered, scratching the back of his head. "I want Roxas to be happy."

Axel's eyes widened. Seeing Roxas again? Being able to hold him, touch him, kiss him? What he wouldn't give for that.

Unohana appeared perplexed. "This isn't really something I'm an expert in. I suppose if you really wanted me to, I could ask Mayuri Kurotsuchi for help. He's good with things like this."

"But what about the Keyhole?" Kairi asked.

"We'll look for that first. That's our first priority above anything else…sorry Axel," Sora said with a wince.

"It's fine. I understand."

"Hm…I suppose if you let Mayuri and I examine you we could try and find a way to help you while you search for this…Keyhole," Unohana said, not questioning at all what the Keyhole was. She wasn't the prying type.

"Really?" Sora asked, excitement seeping into his voice.

"I don't see why-oh!"

Sora had tackled her in a fierce hug, practically squeezing the life out of her and making Axel and Kairi burst out laughing.

"Good job Sora," Kairi giggled.

Sora blushed, pulling away. "Sorry! Thank you so much! Just for trying!"

Unohana smiled gently. "I'll inform the other Taichos of the situation. I think…I'll try and make it so us Taichos don't have to trail your every move. It must be bothersome."

"Oh thank you so much Unohana! We don't know how to repay you!" Kairi said.

"Don't worry. But, if I may, take Axel with me to our hospital quarters. Just so he can rest."

"Is that okay with you, Axel?" Sora asked.

"Just fine. Just wait a little longer Roxas. You'll see me soon," Axel said, flashing a grin at Sora and Roxas.

_**I love you, Axel.**_


	11. Chapter 11

"Riku!"

Renji was barely able to change the direction of his attack when Sora suddenly flew out of nowhere, tackling Riku in a hug and knocking him to the ground. Kairi quickly followed in after him, casting a quick glance at Renji before turning back to her friends.

"What is it Sora?" Riku asked, sitting up but doing nothing to move Sora from his lap.

"Axel's alive! And Unohana and some other dude might be able to make it so Roxas and Namine can be their own people!" Sora cried excitedly.

"Um…wow that's a lot to take in at once," Riku muttered, running a hand through his silver hair.

"I'm so happy!" Sora practically gushed.

"Is he always like this?" Renji asked Kairi, pointing to Sora.

"Yeah," Kairi answered. "You get used to it."

"If you say so."

"So…are we ever going to look for the Keyhole?" Riku asked, finally shoving Sora off and standing up, helping the other stand up as well.

"Let's go now," Sora suggested.

"I thought you guys were allowed to go anywhere without a Taicho trailing you," Renji said, not even bothering to question about the Keyhole.

"Unohana is going to push for us going free. So we're off!" Sora said brightly.

Riku grinned at Renji. "I'll look forward to training with you when we get back."

"Likewise."

ARARAR

"There are newcomers in the Seireitei?"

"Yes Aizen-sama."

Aizen regarded the girl before him, smirking. "Thank you for reporting, Hinamori-chan. Before long, I will be free from Gin's control."

The girl raised her head, eyes shining with happiness. "I knew you were good Aizen-sama. I always knew it. I knew you would never betray the Soul Society. It's all Gin."  
"Yes, it is. I promise I will come back to you, Hinamori-chan," Aizen continued. "Now go back, quickly, before you are missed."

Hinamori nodded quickly before fleeing from the room. Seconds later a figure appeared to the left of Aizen.

"Your orders, Aizen-sama?"

"Go play with them a little. I want to see what their powers are."

"Of course, Aizen-sama."

ARARAR

"There isn't any sign of a Keyhole anywhere," Kairi sighed as they reached the courtyard where their Gummi Ship had landed.

"Where is our Gummi Ship?" Sora asked, staring at the empty space where it had been.

"We'll ask about it later. I just want to get to the other side of that," Riku said, pointing to the big gate before them.

"Let's just open it then," Riku said with a shrug.

"Good luck with that," a voice said from behind them.

They turned around to see Soi Fon standing there.

"Hi, Soi Fon. Why do you say that?" Kairi asked.

"That gate can only be opened by the Shinigami on the other side. I'll have him open it for you," Soi Fon said. "Just stay out of trouble, please. Open the gate!"

At her shout the gate started rising, two gigantic hands gripping the bottom and shoving it up, a little at a time. Kairi gaped when she saw who was opening the gate. He was like a giant!

"Come on. It's rude to stare," Sora teased, dragging her through with Riku right behind them.

"Thanks!" Riku called.

"Well this is certainly a change of scenery," Kairi muttered as they began walking through the streets made of dirt.

The houses that lined the streets were crooked and looked as though they were about to fall apart and the overall feeling of the place was dismal and sad, wearing away at their once happy mood.

"It's sad here," Sora commented. "I don't think the Keyhole would be here."

"What does the mood of a place have to do with anything? You saw where the Keyhole was last time," Riku said.

Sora shrugged. "I know. This place just seems too dismal."  
At that moment, a scream pierced the air. Sora slid to a halt, quickly identifying where the scream had come from before turning to the right, running towards the sound with Riku and Kairi right behind him.

It was a woman, clutching her child to her as several Shadows circled closer and closer to them. Riku was the first in action, whacking the Heartless away before anyone else could even move. The woman didn't stick around to thank them. She grabbed her child and ran as fast as she could once the Heartless were gone.

"Well I'm glad my work is appreciated," Riku grumbled.

"She was scared Riku!" Kairi protested. "You can't blame her."

"So you are the ryoka that have recently invaded the Soul Society," a cool voice said from behind them.

This time it was Sora to react first, spinning around and lunging. His keyblade was caught easily in a pale white hand. Sora's eyes widened as he stared up at the person before him. His eyes were seemingly dead, no emotion at all to be found within them as emerald tear marks streaked down his face. It really looked like he was crying. Wild black hair fell down to his shoulders, half of his head protected by some sort of bone helmet.

"Who the hell are you?" Riku demanded. "And who are the ryoka?"  
"Ryoka. Intruders. I am Ulquiorra. I am only here to test your abilities," he said calmly, releasing Sora's keyblade and stepping back.

"Test our abilities?" Riku growled. "Like hell!"

Riku lunged, sending Way to Dawn right at the helmet part of his head only to have Ulquiorra catch the blade in his bare hand again, easily ripping it from Riku's grasp and sending it flying through the air behind him. He spun and blocked Sora's attack with his forearm, kicking Riku in the stomach and slamming him into one of the buildings without turning to look at him.

Kairi lunged then only to be cast aside easily, her breath being forced from her lungs as she hit the ground. Sora fought the urge to run to her. He drew away from Ulquiorra, quickly analyzing the situation. Riku was gasping for breath as was Kairi.

"Sorry guys. I hope you don't get mad at me for not warning you properly," Sora muttered. "Final Form!"

Riku and Kairi suddenly vanished as Sora felt power race through his veins, Bond of Flames appearing in his right hand, Oblivion in his left. He lunged at Ulquiorra again with Bond of Flames, charging up Thundaga in Oblivion before jumping away, grinning when powerful bolts of lightning rained down on Ulquiorra. His grin died when, much to his dismay, Ulquiorra was seemingly unaffected by the spell, small singe marks in his hair and on his white hakama and haori.

Sora raced forward, sending Oblivion crashing into the skull helmet only to have Ulquiorra seize Oblivion and yank it out of his grasp, sending it several feet away. Sora called it back quickly, jumping back before Ulquiorra attacked him. His eyes flickered to Ulquiorra's hands which were now flickering with red light. Ulquiorra raised his hand and sent a beam of red light streaking towards him.

Sora ducked into a roll, barely managing to dodge the attack before sliding forward, slamming Bond of Flames into Ulquiorra's leg. His eyes widened in shock. It was like striking metal for all the damage it did!

Ulquiorra seized the opportunity to slam his foot into Sora's chest. Sora felt pain lance through him as he hit the ground, wincing when he felt several ribs crack under the damage. All at once, Final Form died out and Riku and Kairi reappeared, both gasping for breath.

"My work here is done," Ulquiorra said softly before promptly vanishing.

"Sora? Are you okay?" Kairi demanded.

"Broken ribs," Sora managed to get out.

"Same here," Riku hissed.

"Oh god…can you guys walk?" she asked, fear seeping into her voice.

"Just…get back to the Taichos. Tell them…we need help," Riku gasped.

Kairi nodded, leaping to her feet and sprinting away from them.

ARARAR

Riku and Sora were ejected from the hospital in only two hours. Things had been explained to the other Taichos. Everything they had told Unohana the rest of the Taichos now new which meant they were given free reign without being tailed all the time. Riku was given a room in the Squad 6 barracks but he had refused, instead staying with Sora in the room he had been given in the Squad 11 barracks.

"The way they heal things here is even more impressive then our cure spells," Sora commented as he cuddled into Riku's chest.

"Different worlds, different abilities. Kairi was telling me about that Spiritual Pressure. It might come in handy while we're here. I'm wondering if we could get the same results using our magic power," Riku mused, absentmindedly running his hand through Sora's hair.

Sora grabbed the hand, kissing Riku's palm before leaning up and pressing his lips to Riku's firmly. The taste of Riku's lips was something he was still getting used to and he found he was quickly becoming addicted to it.

Riku was surprised by Sora's sudden boldness but found he couldn't complain, pressing back against his lips firmly, smirking inwardly when Sora tried to suppress a shudder. His fingers quickly found Sora's spine, dancing up and down them, mimicking the shivers of pleasure that zipped through him. He had never ever suspected to end up in this position, Sora wrapped tight in his arms as they kissed.

Sora quickly grew tired of their kiss, lightly flicking his tongue out to trace the seam of his lips. Riku granted him access and Sora explored the warm and wet cavern that tasted solely of Riku, a dark taste that was frighteningly addicting. Before long, Riku began battling him for dominance though it wasn't necessary. Sora gave in willingly, delighting in the feel of Riku straddling his hips and pinning him to the mattress as he had his way with Sora's mouth.

Eventually, the need of oxygen made itself known and they pulled away. Riku nuzzled Sora's neck lovingly, planting several soft kisses there.

"I love you, Sora."

"I love you too, Riku," Sora whispered, twirling his arms around Riku's shoulders and tugging him closer, loving the feeling of having Riku firmly in his arms.

Riku shifted to the side before wrapping his arms tightly around Sora's smaller frame, hugging him to his chest securely as sleep began to overtake him. Sora smiled once before drifting off to sleep.

ARARAR

Axel was tired. He was really tired. But he couldn't sleep. The window above him let moonlight stream inside, dimly lighting the empty room in the Squad 4 barracks. But there was something missing. A short blondie with pretty blue eyes and a shy disposition to hide the truly deep side of his mind.

_Roxas…I can't wait to be near you again. I've gone through hell for you…_

Axel knew it was a bad idea to try and walk in his condition. He was both mentally and physically spent and he had not gotten a minute of sleep since he had first showed up in the Seireitei. But he couldn't help it. He needed to do something to his mind off of Roxas and the best thing he could think of, was a long and quiet walk.

He slipped out of his room easily and made his way outside, finding that his energy gave out there.

"This good enough," he murmured, sitting down on the ground and leaning against the cold wall, sucking in a deep breath of fresh air.

_So…if Sora defeated Xemnas then that means Roxas and I are the only ones left in the Organization,_ Axel mused. _Dem…I wonder why I haven't thought about him until now. He died a long time before I did…and I never once thought about it. He was my best friend…next to Roxas anyways…Kinda wish I could go back and fix it all._

He lost track of time as he sat there, clearing his head and thinking about…everything. In the past, he had been so caught up in the moment of everything, the fights, the schemes…all of it, and he had never had the chance to just step back and realizing that he was losing everything that was the most important to him. And now he was paying for it.

ARARAR

"I can't believe it. I can't believe we have another traitor feeding Aizen information!" Renji growled.

Byakuya glanced up at him from his desk where he was still doing paperwork. "Renji, stop complaining and come help me. I would like to go home tonight."

Renji shot a glance at the clock, wincing when he saw it was going on midnight. "Yes Taicho."

Byakuya removed a stack of papers, setting them in Renji's waiting hands. Renji moved onto the couch, grabbing a pen before setting to work, grumbling about how boring it was to just sit and do paperwork all day. After half an hour ticked by Renji was nowhere near being done with his stack and shot Byakuya a jealous look when he saw he was already done and getting ready to leave. Byakuya sighed.

"Let me handle that Renji. Go get some rest," Byakuya ordered.

"But Taicho-"

"Just go Renji," Byakuya insisted, walking over to him and picking up the papers before Renji could protest again.

"Why are you being so nice all the sudden, Taicho?" Renji asked, standing up.

"You deserve a break every once in awhile too, Renji," Byakuya said quietly, not looking up at him.

"Well, I suppose I'm not complaining," Renji said. "Thanks Byakuya. I mean Taicho."

Byakuya nodded in his direction before Renji departed, heading out of the main building and heading for the barracks. _Something is off with the Taicho lately. He's been so…nice…Not that I'm complaining if it means I can get out of paperwork but still. Wait…who's that?_

Renji stopped by a slumped figure against the Squad 4 barracks.

"Who're you?" Renji asked, stopping in front of the flame haired man.

The man looked up, emerald eyes catching his dark ones. Small triangle tattoos decorated his cheeks, enhancing the already intense color of his eyes. It was weird finding someone else with the same shade of hair as himself.

"Axel. You?"

"Renji Abarai. You're that kid Sora was going on and on about earlier," Renji said.

"Sora's so hyperactive sometimes," Axel sighed, glancing away from Renji and down at his gloved hands.

"What are you doing out here?" Renji asked, sitting down next to him.

"Thinking," Axel answered, surprised at how well he got along with the other man already.

"About?"

"How I fucked things up," Axel replied, glancing over at Renji.

Renji smirked. "I know the feeling. I'm sure it will work out."

"Not when all of them are dead it won't," Axel sighed, leaning back against the wall and closing his eyes.

Renji frowned then. "If you don't mind me asking…how did they die?"

"Sora…Riku…me," Axel muttered.

"You killed your own friends?" Renji asked.

"Well…Vexen wasn't really a friend," Axel scoffed, still not opening his eyes. "But Zexion…he was Demyx's best friend and I manipulated someone into killing him. I'm such a bastard."

"Sounds like you guys were a dysfunctional family or something," Renji said, laughing lightly.

Axel joined in with his laughter. "That is one way to put it. We had our own groups, you know? Zexion, Vexen, and Lexaeus. Marluxia and Larxene. Me, Demyx, and Roxas. Xigbar and Xaldin. Xemnas and Saix. God…I miss them all. Even old Mansex."

"What?" Renji cried, his laughter increasing.

Axel shot him a grin. "If you rearrange the letters in Xemnas's name you get Mansex."

Renji threw his head back and laughed loudly. "That's rich!"

"Yeah…I miss them all. Why did I have to survive? Why not Demyx? Or Zexion? Dammit."

"Survive?" Renji asked.

"I saved Sora awhile back. Sacrificed myself and faded away. And then all the sudden I woke up here. I should be dead but…I don't know."

"Well…the Soul Society is where people go when they die," Renji said thoughtfully. "Though usually they don't have their memories."

"I come from an entirely different world Renji. I shouldn't show up here," Axel sighed. "But I suppose I shouldn't complain for still being alive."

"That's true. There must be a reason you're still alive. Unfinished business perhaps…dammit. I must be losing it. Spouting romantic crap like that," Renji snorted.

Axel chuckled. "It's been fun talking to you Renji. But I need sleep. See you around?"

Renji nodded, standing up after Axel did. "I hope to."


	12. Chapter 12

The next morning Kairi woke up early and headed for the Squad 2 dojo, intent on finding time to mediate like Soi Fon suggested. She wanted to be stronger, now more than ever after she had seen their possible opponents. She didn't want to be a burden to her best friends. When she reached the dojo she was surprised to see Soi Fon already there, eyes closed as she meditated.

"Mind if I join you?" Kairi asked quietly.

"Go ahead," Soi Fon answered.

Kairi took a seat beside her and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and letting it out, slowly forcing her muscles to relax from their tensed positions. She lost track of how long she sat there, absolutely still with her mind concentrated solely on her breathing.

"Ready to train?" Soi Fon asked, getting to her feet.

"Alright. What are you going to teach me?" Kairi asked, unable to keep the excitement out of her voice.

"Simple hand to hand combat skills for now. Pay close attention. I'm about to cram into your mind what took me years to learn," Soi Fon warned her.

"Bring it on!"

ARARAR

Sora woke up to Riku nipping at his neck and smiled, turning around to face Riku directly. Riku bent down to gently capture his lips once before retracting his arms.

"Come on. We should go look for the Keyhole," Riku told him. "As much as I'd like to stay here."

"I'm worried about that Ulquiorra guy. I wonder what the Soul Society is going to do about him," Sora said worriedly as he slipped out of the bed.

"Like I would know," Riku sighed, stretching.

"Looks like someone left us some clothes," Sora commented as he opened the door.

Two black hakamas with white obis were set up outside the door and Sora quickly passed one to Riku. He stripped without thinking and slipped the new clothes on, completely unaware of Riku's surprised and slightly lust filled eyes. Riku quickly changed as well before the two slipped out into the daylight.

"It sounds like they really have fun," Riku mused as they passed the Squad 11 dojo.

"Sora!" called a voice as the door slid open.

It was Ikkaku.

"Hey Ikkaku. I'm off again. I'll spar later," Sora told him.

Ikkaku glanced at Riku. "Well, no offense Sora but I wanted to take a crack at your friend. He looks like he'd actually be a challenge."

Riku grinned. "We have time to spare Sora. Why not?"

Sora shrugged and Ikkaku stood aside to let the pair walk in. Kenpachi had just finished pounding one of his subordinates into the ground when they walked in and shot Riku and Sora a crazed grin.

"Well if it isn't the wuss. And who are you, pretty boy?" he asked, directing the question at Riku.

"What shampoo do you use?" a voice piped up, directly behind Riku

Riku whirled around, slapping the hand away that had been reaching for his hair. The man looking at him fit the stereotypical description of gay. His hair was short and dark with two red feather-like objects sprouting from the top of his right eyebrow and two yellow ones from the corner of his right eye.

"Does it matter?" Riku asked.

"Well of course it does! I want my hair to be that silky!"

"Yumichika! Leave him alone! He's going to fight with Ikkaku, or weren't you listening?" Kenpachi growled. "I wanna see this fight. Everyone else out of here!"

The rest of the squad, save for Yumichika and Yachiru, quickly exited the dojo leaving only Ikkaku, Yumichika, Yachiru, Sora, Riku, and Kenpachi.

"Ready to go, pretty boy?" Ikkaku crowed, drawing his sword from his sheath.

"Bring it."

Ikkaku charged straight at him and Riku summoned Way to Dawn seconds before Ikkaku attacked, easily blocking the hit. What he wasn't expecting was the sword sheath to suddenly smack him across the face. Ikkaku cackled as he jumped away nimbly before lunging back in without giving Riku time to recover. Riku winced as the sword cut into his side before retaliating by sinking Way to Dawn into Ikkaku's thigh.

Sora was shocked when instead of wincing in pain, Ikkaku laughed out loud, his grin growing wider.

"That was a sissy hit, Riku," Ikkaku said as he danced back.

Riku glowered at him as sticky red blood washed out of his wound and onto the ground.

"Hit me like you're going to kill me!" Ikkaku ordered before lunging in again.

Riku blocked and jumped back before swinging Way to Dawn directly at Ikkaku's head. Ikkaku blocked it with his sword and swung the sheath at him again. Riku ducked and wrenched Way to Dawn away and going in for another shot, grinning when the blade sunk deep into Ikkaku's shoulder, blood staining the edge of the blade.

"That's more like it!" Ikkaku shouted, his grin broadening even more.

"He's insane," Sora breathed.

"Of course he isn't," Yumichika said. "He's just enjoying the fight to the best of his ability."

"Enjoying the fight?" Sora asked, mesmerized as Ikkaku and Riku weaved in and out.

"Duh. What's the point of a fight if you don't fight to kill? The rush…the adrenaline! It's amazing," Yumichika sighed. "I wish I was the one fighting."

"You just fight like a wuss," Kenpachi told him.

Sora's eyes narrowed. "Just because I don't want to kill?"

"Exactly. If you want to win at anything, fight to kill," Kenpachi ordered. "You'd be better off if you got that through your head."

Sora didn't say anything, instead turning his eyes back to Riku and Ikkaku. He felt fear seep into him when he noticed the look in Riku's eyes as he fought Ikkaku. It was the look he had when he was fighting Sora in Hollow Bastion. That crazed look that had haunted him in his dreams as he made his way through The End of the World, praying he could erase it and bring back the old Riku.

Riku swung Way to Dawn, stopping inches before Ikkaku's neck. "How's that?"

"That was fun," Ikkaku admitted. "Could've been better. You didn't even make me release my zanpaktou."

Riku drew away and turned to Sora. "Cast Curaga?"  
"Oh, sure," Sora answered uneasily, quickly casting the spell and sealing up his wounds. "We should go though. Look for the Keyhole and stuff…"

Riku nodded. "See you guys later, then."

"Let's spar again sometime!" Ikkaku called as they left.

"What's wrong?" Riku asked as they began walking towards the gate from yesterday.

"Nothing," Sora answered quickly. "Why did you think something was?"

"You can't lie to me, Sora. Something has you worried," Riku said, turning to look down at him.

Sora scratched the back of his head. "It's just that…when you were fighting Ikkaku…you got this look in your eye. It reminded me of when you fought me in Hollow Bastion."

Riku paled, stopping completely. "That was when…"

"That darkness was controlling you," Sora finished quietly.

"I…the darkness doesn't have control over me anymore," Riku protested.

"But you feel it…it makes me worried," Sora said. "I don't want to have another incident where you can't control it and…and you end up wanting to hurt me again."

"I will never hurt you again," Riku said firmly. "You doubt that?"

"The darkness is powerful," Sora muttered.

"I won't hurt you," Riku repeated. "How many times to I have to say it?"

Sora suddenly lunged forward, hugging him tightly. "I'm just scared to lose you."

Riku gently put his arms around Sora, hugging him back. "Don't be scared. I won't let the darkness conquer me again. I have you."

ARARAR

"They're so interesting," Aizen said softly, watching the small Shadows slithering across the room towards him.

"So you've finally got control of them, eh Aizen-sama?" Gin asked.

"Yes…they're so easy to control, if you want the truth," Aizen said, snapping his fingers. The Shadows vanished. "Now that we can control them, we'll just bring the Soul Society down and then we'll have no problems at all."

"But what about the three Ulquiorra fought?" Gin inquired as Aizen led him out of the throne room and into the white hallways of Los Noches.

"They aren't strong enough to deal with Ulquiorra alone. I'll just send Grimmjow in to deal with the three brats and have the Heartless take down the Soul Reapers," Aizen answered.

"With all due respect, Aizen-sama, is it wise to send Grimmjow? He's like a loose cannon," Gin pointed out.

Aizen spun on his heel, backhanding Gin easily. "Don't question my authority again."

"Of course Aizen-sama," Gin said.

ARARAR

Kairi panted as he flopped down on the ground, sucking in deep breaths of air. Soi Fon stood above her, grinning.

"Tired already?" she asked.

"I'm covered in bruises and I ache everywhere. Yes, I'm tired," Kairi said.

"Well at least you've progressed. Five minute break and then we're training again," Soi Fon instructed.

"Are you serious?" Kairi demanded, sweeping her hair into a ponytail as she sat up.

"I'm training you until you can't move, Kairi," Soi Fon told her.

"Wait… I was supposed to go with Riku and Sora to look for the Keyhole!" Kairi cried, jolting to her feet.

"Relax. I'm sure they can handle themselves just fine," Soi Fon sighed. "Well, since you're up, let's continue."

"But it hasn't been five minutes yet!" Kairi protested.

"Oh well."

ARARAR

"You can't smell the Keyhole anywhere?" Sora asked as they continued wandering around the desolate streets outside the Seireitei.

"Not a trace of it," Riku sighed. "We've looked everywhere. There's no sign of it."

"So what are we going to do?" Sora sighed.

"I don't…who is that?" Riku asked, pointing down an alleyway as they passed it.

Sora turned, eyes widening. Whoever it was, they were dressed in a long black cloak with the hood drawn up.

"Someone from the Organization," Sora breathed, racing down the alleyway without a second thought.

He crouched down beside whoever it was and the person jolted to their feet, backing away from him. The hood fell down from the motion and Sora's eyes widened further.

"Demyx? Don't you recognize me?" Sora asked.

It was Demyx alright, but something was different. The brown hair was no longer styled and hung in thick light brown locks around his face, bright blue eyes peering into Sora's. But they were full of fear and confusion.

Demyx viciously shook his head in answer to Sora's question.

"Can you speak?" Riku asked, appearing behind Sora.

Demyx opened his mouth but nothing came out. The fear grew and Demyx backed away from them further.

"We aren't going to hurt you," Sora said quietly, stretching out a hand. "Just take my hand."

Demyx stared at the hand warily, almost as though he were a frightened animal, unsure of whether or not he was going to be captured again. Slowly, he reached out his own gloved hand, setting it in Sora's outstretched palm. Gently, Sora pulled Demyx to him.

"Aren't you the one who killed him in the first place," Riku said softly, making sure only Sora could hear him.

"I don't have a grudge against him now. He was a friend of Roxas's," Sora replied as he led Demyx out of the alley and back towards the Seireitei.

"Think he's suffering from amnesia or something?" Riku asked, glancing at Demyx.

Demyx's eyes were flickering around non stop, almost as if he expected someone to jump out and attack him right then.

"Probably. Which is weird because Axel was completely unscathed when he showed up," Sora muttered. "I guess we'll just take him to Unohana for now."

ARARAR

"You're look better already Axel," Unohana informed him, giving him a gentle smile as she tested his reflexes.

"Sweet. So when can I start sparring again?" Axel asked, turning to look at her.

"Well, not today. We'll see about tomorrow," Unohana told him. "You can wander for now if you want."

"Thanks."

Axel opened the door and stepped out into the hallway, staring in shock when he saw Sora, Riku, and Demyx walking towards them.

"Demyx!" he shouted.

"Shh! He lost his memory!" Sora hissed, grip tightening on Demyx's hand when Demyx recoiled in fear.

"R-really?" Axel breathed, stopping in his tracks as they slowly came closer. _Why did Demyx lose his memory? Why am I fine but Demyx isn't! Why me!_

"What's going on out here?" Unohana asked, peeking out of the room. "Oh. Is this another one of your friends that appeared?"

Sora nodded, leading Demyx inside with Riku and Axel quickly filing in behind them. "He lost his memory. He doesn't remember who we are."

"He won't talk either," Riku supplied.

"Hm…" Unohana said softly. "Demyx, why don't you sit up on that table."

Unohana grabbed a pad of paper and a pen off of the counter, placing them in Demyx's hands.

"Why don't you tell us what you remember?"

Demyx stared at the objects in his hands for several tense seconds, almost as though he had forgotten how to use them. Finally he pressed the pen to the paper, slowly and carefully writing out a message. Then he turned it for Unohana to see.

_I was burning__and then there was darkness. A lot of darkness. Then pain. Then I was in an alley._

"I see…" Unohana said softly. "The only thing I can suggest for now is for you three to fill him in on his memories. We could always have him try and remember naturally."

_I want to remember by myself._

"Dem…" Axel said softly, stepping forward. He stopped then, chewing his lip. _Better not hug him. He'd probably freak out. _

"Where do you want to stay, Demyx? You can stay here or-" Unohana stopped when Demyx pointed at Axel.

Axel's eyes widened. "You sure, Dem?"

Demyx nodded.

"Um…okay," Axel said, shooting a surprised glance at Sora and Riku. "We'll be going then."

Demyx hopped down from the table and then promptly latched onto Axel's arm. Axel smiled gently down at him and led him out of the room while Riku and Sora lingered.

"Where can we find General Taicho Yamamoto?" Sora asked.

"Oh, he'll be in the Squad 1 barracks. Just ask one of the Soul Reapers to take you there," Unohana told them.

"Alright, thanks," Sora said.

"No problem at all."

ARARAR

Kairi brought up her arms quickly, crossing her forearms as Soi Fon's foot slammed right into them, forcing her to skid back several feet. Soi Fon leapt away grinning.

"Good job, you finally blocked me," Soi Fon said proudly. "Maybe you aren't as weak as I thought."

"I thought we already established that," Kairi said, still in slight awe that she had actually blocked Soi Fon.

"I'm teasing. I'm amazed you learned so fast."

"Kairi!" Sora cried as he and Riku ran into the dojo.

"Oh! Hi guys! Sorry I didn't meet you earlier!" she apologized quickly.

"It's fine. There's no sign of the Keyhole anywhere in the Seireitei or anywhere else in the Soul Society," Sora reported. "We don't know where else to look so we were going to go ask General Taicho Yamamoto about it."

"Hueco Mundo," Soi Fon spoke up.

"What?" Riku asked.

"Let's just get you to Yamamoto. He'll explain," Soi Fon sighed. "Come on."

ARARAR

"It isn't…in the Soul Society," Yamamoto repeated.

Sora, Riku, and Kairi stood on the other side of the desk as they had quickly reported what they had discovered.

"Someone mentioned a place called Hueco Mundo…where is that?" Sora asked.

"Hueco Mundo…is not a place for Soul Reapers. It is where Hollows come from," Yamamoto sighed.

"Hollows?" Kairi asked.

"Spirits who died and were not properly sent to the Soul Society. They turn into Hollows. It's a Soul Reapers duty to kill them," Yamamoto answered, stroking his white beard.

"So let's check there," Riku said.

"You can't get there. We don't have the power," Yamamoto admitted.

"Dammit," Riku hissed. "We need to find that Keyhole!"

Sora nodded. "We'll find a way to get there. Don't worry."

"I wish you wouldn't. Hueco Mundo…is where the traitor Aizen is. He controls the Espadas," Yamamoto informed them.

"Espadas?" Kairi asked.

"The one you fought yesterday…was a high level Arrancar known as an Espada. He is one of Aizen's subordinates," Yamamoto said.

"Subordinates?" Sora demanded. "As in weaker than Aizen?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Yamamoto answered. "But it's worse than that. Ulquiorra wouldn't have known you were here unless we have a traitor amongst our ranks."

"Wow…this is getting complicated," Kairi muttered.

"Definitely," Sora agreed.

"General Taicho Yamamoto! The substitute Shinigami is here and so are his friends!" a voice sounded outside the door.

"Let them in," Yamamoto ordered.

The door opened and four people slipped through. The first was a tall teen with bright orange hair and deep brown eyes. He was dressed in the black hakama and a large sword was strapped to his back.

Beside him, stood another teen with dark hair and glasses. He was dressed in pure white robes and had serious dark blue eyes that darted between the three of them, clearly analyzing them.

To the other side of the first teen stood another teen although his size easily dwarfed Kairi and Sora. His skin tone was dark and an unruly mop of brown hair shielded his eyes completely from view. To the right of him stood an innocent looking girl.

Her hair was bright orange and hit her mid back and her eyes were a bright blue. Riku wrinkled his nose in slight disgust. _She reeks of light! How can someone be this happy? _

"Old man Yamamoto, we're here," the one with orange hair announced.

"Ah, Ichigo Kurosaki. What brings you here?"

"We heard you were having trouble with some weird…shadow thing," Ichigo said. "We wanted to help out."  
"We're handling the situation here just fine," Yamamoto sighed.

"Yeah right! The Keyhole is probably in Hueco Mundo and we can't even get there!" Sora cried.

"Keyhole?" Ichigo asked, tilting his head to the side questioningly.

"This is getting tiring to explain," Riku sighed. "So I'll give the quick version. Those shadow things are Heartless. The three of us are called Keyblade wielders. We can destroy the Heartless and when we seal the Keyhole the Heartless stop attacking."

"Sounds simple," the towering man said in a low baritone voice.

"It would be," Sora said. "If it wasn't for the fact that it isn't in the Soul Society."

Ichigo glanced at the teen to his left, the one with the glasses. The teen looked back and it was almost as if an unspoken agreement crossed between them.

"We'll take them to Kakura town and see if maybe it's there," Ichigo said.

"Ah, of course. Check there," Yamamoto ordered. "I'll send several Shinigami for help."

"Alright. Let's go!" Ichigo cried.

ARARAR

In the end, a total of eleven people were crammed into Ichigo's small bedroom. Renji lounged on the bed with Axel and Demyx sitting at the end. Uryu, the one with the glasses, was leaning up against the door and Ichigo sat on his desk. Orihime, the girl with orange hair, sat on the floor next to desk and Chad, the tall one, leaned up against the wall beside her. A man with blond hair hanging over his right eye sat propped up against the edge of the bed. His name was Izuru Kira. Sora, Riku, and Kairi sat in the middle of the floor.

"Alright. So…you five," Ichigo started, gaze flickering over Sora, Riku, Kairi, Demyx, and Axel. "All want to get into Hueco Mundo, am I right?"

Sora nodded. "But there isn't a way to get there."

"Wrong. Urahara is an ex-Shinigami. He can open a pathway," Ichigo told them. "You'll just have to come with us and trust us."

"Done," Sora said.

"Alright. Let's go," Ichigo ordered.

"Ichigo, it isn't wise to leave the town unguarded," Uryu spoke up.

"I'll stay," Chad volunteered.

"So will I," Orihime added.

"There. That's settled," Ichigo said. "Let's go to Urahara's."


	13. Chapter 13

"Freaking Shinigami," Szayel growled as his monitors displayed Los Noches being invaded by what looked like three Shinigami, a Quincy, and five other humans. "You, go alert Aizen-sama." He pointed at one of his subordinates standing in the back of the room.

The small hollow scampered out the door and Szayel turned back to the monitors, swiping pink hair out of his green eyes and quickly activated the rest of the cameras.

"Now I'll just monitor all their powers and take them out before Aizen has to even deal with them. That will get me above that idiot, Grimmjow," he muttered.

ARARAR

"This place reeks of darkness," Riku muttered as Ichigo led the way through the twisting lower hallways of Los Noches.

Urahara had easily been able to get them directly into Los Noches for which the nine of them were extremely grateful.

"Fuck…" Ichigo cursed as they entered a large room. Five different hallways split off from the room.

"We split up," Riku said.

"Fine. Riku and I will go together. Axel and Demyx. Um…Kairi?" Sora asked.

"I'll go with Kairi," Uryu volunteered.

"I'm with Izuru," Renji said.

"That means I'm going alone," Ichigo said with a wide grin.

"Let's just hurry up and get this over with," Izuru muttered.

Riku glanced at the frail looking man. He could smell a strong scent of darkness from him but he couldn't bring himself to believe that a man looking that gentle could possibly be letting the darkness overwhelm him. _I'll just have to watch him closely._

ARARAR

Demyx clung to Axel's arm as they walked. Axel sighed.

"Dem…do you remember anything?" he asked softly.

Demyx nodded, reaching one hand into the folds of his cloak and pulling out the pad of paper and pen that Unohana had given him. He scrawled something on it and then flipped it for Axel to see.

_Zexion._

"Figures," Axel muttered. "And me?"

_Fire._

Axel burst out into laughter. "Nice Demyx! You remember my love of fire."

Demyx gave him an uneasy smile before slipping the utensils away. Axel was about to say something else when they entered a large room. It was plain and the walls were pure white as was the floor. The room was completely empty but Axel couldn't help but feel as if someone's eyes were prying deep into him.

"Can't see me, can you?" a voice said, echoing around them making it impossible to tell where it was coming from.

"Come out you coward!" Axel growled, chakrams appearing in his hands silently. He pushed Demyx behind him as his eyes continued to dart around the room, searching for a source of the voice.

"Turn around!" the voice cackled.

Axel whirled around, eyes widening in shock when he saw a sword held across Demyx's throat, a hand gripping the hilt and another hanging onto the tip. The man standing behind him had long teal blue hair that scraped just past his shoulders and his eyes were a deep gold. The top part of the right side of his jaw had what looked like the jaw bone covering the skin. His sword was short and shined from the lights above them.

"Just don't move, Demyx. I'll get you out of this," Axel said, twirling the chakrams in his hands uneasily.

"Oh will you now? I hope you realize there is nothing keeping me from slitting this boy's throat!" the man cackled.

"Who are you anyways?" Axel snapped.

"My name is Yuque. Not that it's any of your business," the man said, pressing the metal into Demyx's neck, just barely scraping the skin.

The fear grew in Demyx's eyes and suddenly Yuque was propelled backwards by jets of water, slamming into the wall and slumping to the ground. Yuque's golden eyes narrowed dangerously and he suddenly vanished from sight completely, almost as though he were blending into the wall.

Shocked at what he had just done, Demyx rushed to Axel's side, clinging to him helplessly.

"I can't believe you did it, Demyx. I thought you had forgotten how to use your powers," Axel muttered, muscles tense as he waited for Yuque to reappear.

Demyx didn't look at him but he was quaking with fear. _Maybe he didn't remember them. Maybe…he just reacted instinctively. But…how am I going to beat Yuque if I have to protect Demyx at the same time?_

ARARAR

"You seem on edge, Izuru," Renji commented as they wandered through the hallway.

Izuru shot a glance at him, his visible green eye narrowing. "I wonder why?" he asked dryly.

"Oh right…Ichimaru," Renji muttered, scratching the back of his head. _I forgot he was Ichimaru's old Lieutenant. _"What are you going to do if we run into him?"

"Fight him, of course," Izuru answered, turning away from him.

"It's a losing battle, Izuru," Renji said. "He's Taicho level. You're only a Lieutenant, like me."

"I'll find a way," Izuru replied.

Renji frowned. "I'm worried about you. You haven't seemed right lately. Anything you want to talk about?"

"Oh wow Renji. When did you turn into a consoler?" Izuru snapped.

"Hey! I'm just trying to help," Renji protested. _He's changed. This definitely isn't the old push over Izuru I used to know. What's happened to him? _

"There's a Hollow ahead of us," Izuru said, stopping just before they entered a large room. "It's strong. Are you ready?"

"Of course!"

"Don't get cocky," Izuru ordered.

Renji didn't answer, instead just passing by Izuru and into the room. The second he did so he was knocked to the floor by an unseen force. Izuru whipped out his sword and jumped out as well as Renji quickly scramble to his feet.

Before them stood a tall woman dressed in a form fitting black dress. Her matching black hair rolled down her shoulders to swing at her waist and dangerous green eyes seemed to radiate malice. On either side of her eyes remnants of what appeared to be part of a skull swooped from her eyes to the top of her cheek bones. A sword was grasped tightly in each of her hands and they were held loosely by her sides.

"Hello there. I'm here to stop you right now. That way, Aizen-sama will never once have to deal with you," she said in a confident voice.

"You really think you can win a two on one battle?" Renji scoffed.

"I am more then capable. My name is Jazzaline, the former 5th Espada…until that rotten Nnoitra stole my spot!" she hissed. "But you don't need to worry about that. I am more than enough to handle you."

"Raise your head Wabisuke," Izuru murmured.

"Howl, Zabimaru," Renji ordered before twisting his segmented blade directly towards Jazzaline.

Jazzaline brought her right sword up and halted Zabimaru before knocking it away, jumping away from Izuru before he could land a hit. Quickly, she sliced her left blade at Izuru. Izuru's eyes widened when a sudden brutal wind lashed across his chest, slicing open his skin and spilling his blood onto the ground.

"Izuru!" Renji shouted.

"Don't get distracted!" Izuru growled before lunging in towards Jazzaline.

Jazzaline ducked under the first hit, blocking a side attack from Renji before slicing her sword through Izuru's shin. Izuru jumped back but the sharp winds caught him, slicing up his skin and washing more blood onto the ground.

"I told you two that you don't stand a chance!"

ARARAR

Uryu didn't waste any time, breaking into a quick run down a hallway with Kairi swiftly moving to follow. As they ran through the twisting halls Uryu turned to glance back at her.

"So you use a Keyblade?" he asked.

"Yes," Kairi answered. "Why?"

"Are you any good?" Uryu demanded.

"I'd like to think so."

"Just don't get in my way," Uryu ordered. "There's a high leveled Hollow ahead of us and I don't want anyone screwing me up."

"Like I would do that!" Kairi snapped. "Why does everyone think I'm weak? Is everyone here sexist?"

Uryu paled at her fierce anger. "That's not it at all. Sorry if I offended you."

Uryu stopped when they entered a large room, stunned that their enemy would actually be standing right in the center of the huge white room in plain sight. The man was huge with bulging muscles and a meaty head, small dark eyes staring at them intensely. Along the right side of his neck was a patch of bone.

"Who are you?" Uryu asked warily.

"Former 10th Espada, Rin," the man answered. "I will crush you now."

"I highly doubt you have the skill to do so," Uryu said calmly, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose before holding his hand out.

What appeared to be blue lasers suddenly shot out from his hand to form what looked like a large spider web, a straight line in the middle being grasped tightly in his white gloved hand. Kairi quickly drew her Keyblade, raising it into an offensive position.

Rin broke into a run, heading straight towards them. Seconds before he reached them, Uryu vanished from sight, suddenly appearing behind him and letting loose a flurry of blue arrows, successfully distracting him from attacking Kairi. Kairi seized the chance to whip her Keyblade towards Rin's neck.

Rin ducked at the last second, shooting a fist forward to punch her stomach. Kairi followed Uryu's example, charging up her power and forcing herself into using shunpo, darting swiftly out of the way.

_We'll have this battle easily,_ Uryu thought as he watched Rin yank out the arrows, paying no mind to the blood that washed onto the ground as a result. _A brute like him stands no chance. _

ARARAR

"I'm worried about Demyx," Sora suddenly said.

Riku turned to him as they headed down the hallway. "Why?"  
"Well…he can't fight! He doesn't remember! Was it really a good idea to bring him along?" Sora asked.

"Axel wanted to come with us but he didn't want to leave Demyx behind either," Riku said with a shrug.

_**Just as long as he doesn't leave me for Demyx,**_ Roxas grumbled in Sora's mind.

Sora burst out laughing and Riku shot him a puzzled look. "Roxas is jealous!"

Riku shook his head, smiling lightly. "Don't worry, Roxas. No one's going to steal your lover boy away."

_**Shut up, pretty boy!**_

"Roxas says you're a pretty boy," Sora reported.

"Yeah right," Riku scoffed as they entered a large white room.

"Looks like I lucked out," a voice crowed. "I get a tasty meal!"

Sora whirled around to the right, eyes widening. "What the heck is that?"  
Riku stared as well. In all honesty, it looked like an oversized white ant with large human looking eyes and a giant skeletal jaw. _What the hell is this? Definitely not a Heartless!_

"Riku…what do we do?" Sora asked as the weird creature advanced on them.

"Fight. Use magic. Something! Just kill it," Riku hissed, unable to hide the fact that he was just as freaked out as Sora.

"Right. Good idea!" Sora agreed. "Firaga!"

The high level fire spell spiraled towards their enemy. The fire engulfed the beast but when it died down the only sign that it had even been attacked was the charred look the white skin had taken.

"Just keep going with the spell. I'll try and get at its eyes. They look like a weak point," Riku said quietly, gathering his wits together and fighting down the fear that had bubbled up inside him.

"Right!" Sora said. "Be careful."

"Always."

ARARAR

Ichigo stepped into the large room, instantly anticipating a battle. He could feel the spiked spiritual pressures of his friends and could only guess they were being attacked by Hollows, or worse, the stronger Espadas that took on a human form. But instead of a battle he was greeted with a small girl dressed in baggy green clothes.

"Who are you?" he asked incredulously.

The small child turned to face him, wide green eyes staring at him in slight shock. Curls of green hair poked out from beneath what appeared to be the remains of a Hollow mask which sat a top of her head, like a hat. A red line ran over the bridge of her nose and onto the tops of her cheekbones.

"Shinigami!" she stated, pointing at him accusingly. "You hurt Hollows!"

"Calm down! I'm not going to hurt you!" Ichigo quickly said. _Well…if you don't attack me._

"Oh…okay! I'm Nel!" the girl said excitedly, running over to him and extending her arms as if she wanted to be picked up. "Who are you?"

"Ichigo…" he replied uneasily before picking her up. _Well…I don't see what harm it could possibly do. She doesn't look dangerous._

"Ichijo!" she repeated, unable to make the appropriate sounds to say his name.

"Sure…right," he muttered. _Guess I'll just take her with me._

ARARAR

"Aizen-sama. The girl you were interested in is unguarded," Ulquiorra announced as he walked into the throne room.

Aizen glanced up. "Go retrieve her then."

"One more thing. Ichigo and the others are here," Ulquiorra continued. "The Privaron Espadas are engaging combat with them now. Szayel has also informed us that Nel is here."

"Didn't Nnoitra get rid of her?" Aizen asked in a bored tone.

"Yes. We do not know how she got in but…you should see for yourself."

Ulquiorra brought his hand up to his left eye, digging it out easily before crushing it in his hand. The orb shattered into tiny pieces that drifted past Aizen, showing Aizen what he had seen on Szayel's monitors.

"I see. She's turned into a little girl. Well, we don't need to worry about it now. Just go get the girl," Aizen ordered. "Her abilities are important to us."

"Yes Aizen-sama."


	14. Chapter 14

"That…was very disappointing," Uryu said, willing his weapon to disappear.

Kairi did the same. "That…wasn't even a battle. It took nothing at all."

Uryu nodded, once again fixing his glasses. "Well, I suppose I'm not complaining. Let's continue."

As they walked, Kairi spoke. "So…you're weapon…what is it made of?"

"Spirit particles in the air. Quite handy actually. I brought several back up weapons but I hope I won't have to use them," Uryu explained.

"Well…you aren't a Shinigami. So…what are you?" Kairi asked.

"A Quincy. We were sworn enemies of the Shinigami," Uryu informed her.

"So there are others like you?" Kairi asked in awe.

Uryu flinched. "Ah…no. I am the last Quincy. The others have…died."

Kairi's face fell. "Oh…I'm so sorry!"

"It's fine. Don't worry. For now, we need only worry about finding Aizen."

ARARAR

Axel tugged Demyx closer to him, trying to pinpoint Yuque's location and finding it near impossible to do so. It was almost as though the man had completely vanished from the room.

"Behind you!"

Axel whirled around, throwing his chakram towards Yuque. Yuque flashed him a grin before promptly vanishing again.

"You coward! Come out where I can see you!" Axel growled. _Now would really be a fantastic time for you to rediscover your powers again, Demyx. _

"Scared? Scared that you can't see me? Is the unknown really that scary?"

Axel's eyes darkened and he turned towards Demyx. "Go into the hallway Demyx. Don't take a step into this room. Understand me?"

Demyx nodded fearfully as Axel guided him to the hallway, all of his senses on the alert as he waited for Yuque to reappear. Once he was sure Demyx was safe he turned back so he could see the entire room.

_I can almost guarantee he's remaining hidden by running at high speeds. All I have to do is stop him. _

Axel moved to the center of the room, being sure to keep a watchful eye on Demyx in case Yuque decided to go after him again. Then he spun his chakrams in his hands several times before plunging them into the ground. Hot embers radiated from the chakrams, covering the entire ground as flames began to engulf the walls.

A screech came from his left and he whirled around, smirking when he saw Yuque jumping from foot to foot.

"Gotcha you bastard," Axel hissed before sending both chakrams whirling towards him.

Yuque's eyes widened seconds before the dangerous spikes sunk into him, killing him in seconds and sending him back against the fiery walls. He let out another screech as he burned and Axel let the fire die, nodding in satisfaction when he saw that only a pile of ash remained. Then he turned towards Demyx, holding out a hand and beckoning for him.

Demyx stepped across the ground lightly, almost as if he was afraid it would once again burst into hot coals and burn him. But once he was secured back in Axel's arms he sighed in relief. As they exited the room, Axel spoke.

"You know, your hair really needs to be styled again. I just can't get used to a Demyx without his crazy hair.

Demyx smiled uneasily.

_I don't like not remembering anything._

Axel stared at the words and sighed, stopping and turning to face Demyx straight on. "Don't worry about it Dem. The memories will return when something triggers them. Something important. I know they will." Axel gently stroked Demyx's cheek, kissing his forehead. "Don't worry."

ARARAR

Sora let off his seventeenth Firaga spell, panting as he did so. He was almost out of magic and Riku's blade had had absolutely no affect on the tough hide of the weird looking Hollow. Somehow it had managed to avoid each of the slashes at its eyes.

"Sora! Take this!" Riku shouted, pulling an ether out of his pocket and throwing it in Sora's direction. Sora snatched it quickly, downing the ether easily and throwing the bottle behind him.

Instantly his magic was replenished and he grinned. "Thanks Riku. Just what I needed."

He set off two more Firaga spells and then decided to go for a surprise attack.

"Blizzaga!"

Riku jumped back to avoid getting hit as the freezing spell whizzed past him, colliding with the huge beast. Sora didn't know what to expect at first. He had most definitely not suspected the beast to be frozen solid, unable of any movement at all.

"Sora! Hit it with your Keyblade. Make it shatter!" Riku called.

Sora's eyes widened. "Oh duh!"

He rushed forward and plunged Oblivion straight into the ice, grinning when cracks appeared in the ice, branching off into smaller cracks before suddenly shattering. Quickly, he cast several fire spells to completely get rid of the beast.

"If I had known that's all it took I would've done it sooner," he sighed.

"Oh well. At least we're alive. Here, take a potion," Riku ordered, pulling one out of his pocket and handing it to Sora.

Sora shook his head. "We'd better save them. I'm pretty sure there isn't anywhere we could buy these here."

"When we leave…we should stop by Hollow Bastion," Riku said. "Stock up on supplies, check in with the others."

Sora nodded as they began walking, heading into the hallway on the other side of the room. "I haven't talked to any of them in a while."

"Is Maleficent still there?" Riku asked uneasily.

"Nope. She's gone. I honestly don't know where she is," Sora admitted, scratching the back of his head.

"Just as long as she doesn't come near me again," Riku sighed.

"I won't let anyone hurt you," Sora said quietly.

ARARAR

"Okay…I'm seriously getting annoyed now," Renji growled, eyes narrowing as he glared at Jazzaline.

They had been unable to get close enough to her and she danced just beyond Zabimaru's range. Izuru ducked into a roll to avoid another vicious wind.

"So what do you suggest we do then?" Izuru demanded. "Dance around until we die?"

"Nope. Bankai!" Renji shouted.

Izuru quickly flash stepped away from Renji as the segmented blade grew larger to the size of a basilisk, each portion of it segmented just like the first release form. The large skeletal snake head roared before lunging towards Jazzaline.

Jazzaline smirked and sliced her swords at the beast. Renji quickly broke the snake apart, connecting it by his Spiritual Pressure so that the winds could only slip between the cracks.

"My turn!"

Renji twisted the snake and sent the head slamming straight into Jazzaline's body, sending her flying into the wall. A sickening crack echoed through the room when she hit the wall and she fell down to the ground, appearing to be dead. Renji let his bankai go, sheathing his blade as Izuru approached the still form. When she didn't move he quickly sliced through her neck, decapitating her in an instant.

"Harsh much?" Renji asked.

"She's an Arrancar. She deserves to die," Izuru replied, sheathing his blade and heading out of the room without look at Renji once.

"Uh…right…I'm glad I don't have to fight you Izuru," Renji said jokingly.

"You could defeat me easily Renji. I don't have a bankai," Izuru stated. "Don't overestimate me."

"If you insist Izuru. But you don't give yourself enough credit," Renji said, following after him.

"Just shut up Renji. I don't want to talk to you," Izuru hissed.

"You obviously need to talk if you're in such a bad mood!" Renji growled, eyes narrowing. "What's wrong? Besides the fact that you might have to fight Ichimaru?"

Izuru whirled around, moving to backhand Renji. Renji caught his wrist. "Talk to me Izuru. I'm your friend. I'm not going to judge you."

Izuru stared at him angrily for several tense heartbeats. Then his gaze softened and he jerked his hand out of Renji's grip, turning around.

"I…was in love with Ichimaru."

Renji's eyes widened. "You…you were? But you…"

"Of course Gin wouldn't let me tell anyone. We were both afraid that we would get in trouble. I thought he really loved me…but obviously he didn't. Or he wouldn't have left me!" Izuru hissed, slamming his fist into one of the walls. "I hate him now. I have to get rid of him. Other wise, I'll never be free."

The last words were choked and Renji was left speechless. He didn't know what to say after such a declaration. Izuru had never been bloodthirsty at all before and even hesitated to kill his opponents, believing that it was possible they could be turned around. But now…he was different. And it was all Gin's fault.

ARARAR

Axel stopped, unable to move. There, in front of them, were two figures slumped against the wall, both wearing identical black cloaks and clearly unconscious. The hoods were up, disguising their identities completely.

"Demyx…just…stay here," Axel ordered before running forward and seizing the shoulders of the nearest one.

A groan sounded and Axel roughly shoved the hood back, eyes widening when he looked into the blue eyes of the Graceful Assassin. His eyes were confused and then he suddenly focused, grabbing the front of Axel's cloak roughly.

"You! Because of you I died!" Marluxia shouted.

"What the hell Marluxia? Let go! You're alive now aren't you!" Axel cried, struggling out of Marluxia's grasp.

Marluxia frowned. "What…but…how?"

"I have no idea, to be completely honest. Just shut up and let me see who else is alive," Axel ordered, turning to the other figure.

He roughly shook them awake and a pained cry escaped pale lips as the hood fell back. Dark slate colored hair hid the left side of Zexion's face but there was something wrong. Zexion continued to wail, clawing hopelessly at his covered eye, not even bothering to open up the visible one.

"It hurts!" he hissed, finally letting his hands drop.

Axel stared in horror at the blood that now coated his hands and dripped down porcelain skin. Unsure if he really wanted to know, Axel carefully pushed back the dark bangs, eyes widening at what he saw. A lilac eye was opened impossibly wide but a white film seemed to cover it and raw claw marks ran down his forehead to the eyelid before continuing down his cheek. Gasping breaths of pain seeped past Zexion's lips and he slumped back against the wall, covering the eye with a bloody hand.

"Get it out. Please. It hurts. Just get rid of it!" he hissed, his other hand going to grasp Axel's shoulder tightly.

"Zexion…I can't do that!" Axel whispered fiercely. "It's your eye!"

"Then move aside. Let me do it," Marluxia ordered, shoving Axel roughly to the side.

Demyx raced over, ignoring Marluxia completely and kneeling down in front of Zexion. Zexion's other eye flashed open and he stared at Demyx.

"Dem…"

Demyx brought his hands up to Zexion's cheeks, cradling his face softly. "Zexion."

"Demyx! You…talked!" Axel exclaimed.

Demyx turned to him. "Zexion…he…we…"

"You fags were lovers now move!" Marluxia hissed. "I'll get rid of the eye and we'll have no more problems."

"No! I won't let you hurt him!" Demyx growled, a fierce light appearing in his eyes as he stood up.

"Demyx! Do you remember?" Axel demanded. "Everything?"

"Yes. Everything. Now back off Marluxia! I won't let anyone hurt him!" Demyx shouted in a strained voice. It was hard after not talking in so long.

Zexion reached a hand up, grabbing the side of Demyx's cloak. "Let it go Demyx. Nothing could hurt more then it does now. Marluxia, go ahead."

"Zexion-"

"Move, brat," Marluxia ordered, grabbing his shoulders and shoving him onto the ground beside Axel.

Axel wrapped his arms around Demyx tightly to hold him back as vines spiraled down Marluxia's arm and extended to Zexion's face. The rest was hidden by his bangs but suddenly a scream ripped through the air and Zexion's head slammed against the wall, the scream turning into a shrieking wail. Demyx fought against Axel as tears began to run down his face. Blood ran hot and wet down Zexion's face and hit the ground in wet plops.

The scream suddenly stopped as Marluxia kicked him in the head, knocking him out.

"Do either of you have a potion?" he demanded, jerking the vine and tossing the eye down the hall and out of sight.

Axel shakily reached into his cloak and handed a potion to Marluxia. Marluxia knelt beside Zexion's still figure, pouring the potion directly onto his face. Demyx turned into Axel's shoulder, unable to look.

"There. I sealed his eyelid shut and stopped the bleeding. The damaged tissue is already healing," Marluxia said, wiping the blood off of Zexion's face with his cloak sleeve. "He shouldn't be in as much pain now."

"W-what was wrong with it?" Demyx whispered.

"It looked like he was blind in it, or something," Axel said quietly. "The darkness took away you're memory Demyx. The darkness probably did something to Zexion's eye."

"Zexion," Demyx whimpered, clambering off of Axel's lap and rushing to lay beside Zexion's head, ignoring the blood and pulling his lover's head onto his lap.

Marluxia turned to Axel. "So where the hell are we?"

"It's called Hueco Mundo. It's in a different world called…the Soul Society I think. I'm helping Sora and the Shinigami get rid of a traitor and seal the Keyhole," Axel answered.

"You're helping him!" Marluxia demanded. "Why?"

"Because he's nice, okay! Not everyone is evil, like you! We have nothing left! The Organization is gone! Xemnas is dead and if he ever comes back, I swear I'll kill him. And if you dare try to hurt Sora, or Riku, or Kairi I will rip you limb from limb and send you back into the darkness myself! Got it memorized?"

"Calm down!" Marluxia snapped. "It's not like I have much of a choice anyways. Let's just hurry up and get out of here."

"We have to wait for Zexion," Demyx murmured. "We have to wait until he wakes up."

Axel nodded. "He's right. We're waiting."

"Tch. Fine."

ARARAR

"It's getting to me," Riku muttered.

"What is?" Sora asked, cocking his head to the side.

"The darkness," Riku whispered, closing his eyes as he stopped walking. It was oppressing, the darkness. It was like it was closing in on all sides, demanding that he cave in and just give up.

_**Just give in. It'll be like old times, I can give you that power,**_ an all too familiar voice cooed with in his mind.

_NO! Leave me alone! How are you even here?_

_**The doubt in your heart, obviously. That and this world is throbbing with the power of darkness. It makes me…stronger. It is futile to fight!**_

"Riku!" Sora shouted as Riku fell to his knees, clutching at his head. "Riku! Come on! Stay with me!"

_**Don't listen to him. You know he'll just cast you aside when he realizes that I'm still here. Just give up. **_

"Sora," Riku whispered, blindly reaching a hand forward.

Sora quickly grabbed it, squeezing it tightly. "Is it Ansem, Riku? Is he back?"

_**See…he'll drop you once he knows!**_

"Yes…yes Sora…" Riku hissed, his grip tightening. "Make him go away."

Sora suddenly hugged him. "I'll give you my light Riku."

"My…light," Riku breathed clutching at Sora like a child would with a blanket.

_Sora…wouldn't leave me. Just stop Ansem. I rule now. You are nothing. _

"Thank you…Sora," Riku murmured, feeling Ansem's presence retreat to the back of his mind.

"Of course Riku. You don't need to thank me," Sora told him pulling back.

Riku leaned forward to capture his lips, nibbling on the bottom one softly before pulling away. "I love you."

"I love you too."


	15. Chapter 15

"So bored," Orihime sighed. "I should've gone with them. Why did I volunteer to stay behind?"

She dumped her lunch plate in the sink and began cleaning it, staring out the window blissfully. _It's always so dull here. Nothing exciting has happened although I don't know why I'm wishing for something to happen. It'll only cause trouble._

"Come with me," a voice ordered from behind her.

Orihime shrieked as she whirled around, eyes widening when she saw Ulquiorra. She remembered him from earlier that month. He had easily defended himself against Urahara and he worked for Aizen.

"You aren't welcome here," she said, voice wavering.

Ulquiorra's gaze didn't falter, nor did his expression change. "I am not giving you a choice, woman. Come with me or your friends will die."

"What?"  
"Come with me," Ulquiorra repeated. "Now."

Orihime stared at him, chewing her lip. "No! I won't!"

"Your friends will die then," Ulquiorra said, turning away from her.

"Fine! I'll go with you!" she cried, falling to her knees. "Just don't hurt them."

"You've made a wise choice, woman."

ARARAR

Szayel stood up, fingering the edge of his zanpaktou. He had seen Renji's bankai so he knew that he could fight them. Now that their abilities were monitored he could become immune to them and he would never have to worry about it at all. He strode down the hallway, heading for the room that their hallway would open up in to. All he had to do was get rid of the pesky intruders and then maybe Aizen would pay more attention to him. He was a genius after all.

ARARAR

Silently, Renji and Izuru headed up the stairs and into a large room. It was almost completely dark except for a few lights on the ceiling. Renji's eyes narrowed when he felt the throbbing Spiritual Pressure of what he guessed was an Espada. He turned to Izuru, questioning in his eyes. Izuru nodded as if to say he could feel it to.

"Well look who we have here?" a voice cooed as a man slunk out of the shadows.

Square glasses framed amber colored eyes and a wicked smile stretched across thin lips. Strands of pink hair drifted across the man's eyes and he was dressed in all white, a hand resting on the hilt of his sheathed zanpaktou.

"Who the hell are you?" Renji demanded.

"I am the genius of the Espadas, Szayel Aporro Grantz. I am here to kill you," the man cackled.

"Freak," Renji hissed. "I'll end this now!"

"Renji-"

"Bankai!"

The gigantic snake appeared again, rearing up before slicing through the air directly towards Szayel. Szayel smiled at the oncoming blow and grinned even wider when suddenly, the entire thing shattered into tiny bits, falling to the ground.

"You see, Renji, was it? I have already discovered your abilities and made myself immune to your attacks. It really is pointless to try and hurt me with such a weak bankai. To be completely honest, I was looking forward to an actual fight," Szayel cooed. "But it appears you are not even capable of that. So now, I'll end this."

Renji's eyes widened when Szayel whipped his sword out of his sheath. _He's immune to my attacks and now he's using his zanpakutou! We're screwed!_

"Sip, Fornicaras!"

Renji and Izuru stumbled back when tentacles suddenly sprouted from Szayel's waist, tangling around in each other in a large white mass. Wings sprouted from his back and his eyes were alight with a sort of insane fire that reminded Renji of Mayuri Kurotsuchi. Well, they were both insane scientists.

"Well, are you going to fight or have you already given up?" Szayel cooed.

Izuru's visible eye narrowed. "Are you sure you've seen my ability, Szayel? Because if I recall correctly, I never once landed a hit on Jazzaline."

Renji's eyes widened. _That's right! Izuru…our lives lie with you. You better not screw up. _

Szayel frowned. "I didn't…did I? Oh well! I'll defeat you now before you can do anything!"

A tentacle shot towards Izuru but Izuru didn't move, only unsheathing his sword.

"Raise your head, Wabisuke!"

He brought the sword up just in time to block the tentacle once before darting back and slicing across it two more times, unable to help the small smirk that twitched at his lips when the tentacle collapsed on the ground with a thud. Szayel tried furiously to lift it back up, unable to due to the weight.

"You see, Szayel, Wabisuke doubles the weight of everything it touches. So when I blocked you, the weight doubled. That weight quadrupled when I hit you the first time and then that weight was multiplied by eight when I hit it again. You do not stand a chance," Izuru said dangerously.

Szayel frowned, eyes narrowing. "Let's just see you block this!"

Numerous tentacles suddenly plunged towards him. Renji's eyes widened as Izuru's arms became a blur, blocking each and everyone of them even as he was forced back several inches, his face determined. Seven fell to the ground then followed by ten more until all of them were on the ground, completely useless.

"You bastard!" Szayel wailed. "You'll pay for this!"

Izuru's eyes widened when he saw gripped in Szayel's hand was a tiny doll that bore a strange resemblance to him.

"Is that…a voodoo doll?" Renji breathed.

"Correct," Szayel answered. He suddenly ripped the entire thing in half, drawing shocked gasps from both Renji and Izuru. "Oh calm down. It's not like I can actually hurt you…on the outside."

Izuru cried out when a wave of pain lanced up his spine. It felt like his insides were on fire. His wail grew louder as he collapsed to the ground, clutching at his stomach as another wave of pain crashed over him.

"How does it feel, you bastard? How does it feel to have your internal organs crushed!"

"Bastard!" Renji shouted, rising to his feet and rushing towards him.

"Ah, ah, ah!"

Renji slid to a halt when he saw another doll clutched in Szayel's other hand. "What are you doing?" Renji demanded.

"If you…don't kill your little friend there, I kill you both," Szayel told him, smiling.

Renji's eyes widened. "What?"

Izuru stared up at him through pain filled eyes. "Do it Renji. Just kill me."

"Izuru! I can't do that!"

"Renji! My life doesn't matter! We have to get rid of Aizen and at least one of us needs to survive to help the others!" Izuru growled out.

"I can't! I can't kill you Izuru! You're my friend!" Renji hissed.

"Just kill me Renji. If you don't, we both die."

"I don't care! I can't kill you!" Renji said. "We can both die. I refuse to kill a comrade."

"Renji, this is not the time for your pride to get in the way," Izuru hissed. "Just do it!"

Renji swallowed, lowering his sword to Izuru's throat. "Okay. I'll do it."

"Don't let me die in vain."

ARARAR

"No!" Uryu hissed, sliding to a halt.

"What is it?" Kairi asked.

"Izuru's Spiritual Pressure. It's almost gone!"

"What does that mean?" Kairi asked worriedly.

"It means he's dying," Uryu replied, turning to look back down the hallway they had just cleared and then back at the stairs in front of them.

"Let's go to him. We can't let him die," Kairi said determinedly. "I refuse to let anyone die!"

Uryu stared at her a moment and then nodded. "We have to hurry. Can you flash step all the way there?"

"I can try," Kairi said. In seconds, they were off.

ARARAR

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Szayel asked, using a nail to slice the Renji voodoo doll open.

"Sorry," Renji muttered, drawing the sword back before swinging it forwards.

But instead of hitting the soft flesh of Izuru's neck he hit a Keyblade. Kairi's Keyblade to be exact. She was down on her knees, fighting against Renji's strength.

"What the hell are you doing?" she demanded angrily. "Killing a comrade!"  
Uryu stepped into the room, his Quincy bow glowing as he leveled it at Szayel. "Drop the dolls. I don't know what the hell they are but drop them," he ordered.

Szayel tossed them to the left, frowning. "Fine. You happy?"

"Yes. Now, what did you do to Izuru?" Uryu demanded.

"All I did was destroy his insides," Szayel said with a smile.

"You…destroyed his organs?" Kairi breathed. A sudden hatred filled her eyes and she got to her feet, striding towards him angrily. "Do you get some sort of sick pleasure hurting other people? Do you?"

Szayel shrugged. "Yes."

Suddenly Kairi vanished, appearing behind him with her Keyblade locked around his neck, one hand on the hilt, the other on the tip. "Don't move. If you move at all I will cut your head off. Now tell me, how do we heal him?"

"I wouldn't know. And I don't think you could really cut my head off. Besides, if you kill me, I'll just use you to bring myself back to life," Szayel said nonchalantly.

"What?" she breathed.

"You're a woman, aren't you? My other skill is to impregnate my enemy with me when I die. Then all I have to do is eat my way out, killing you in the process."

"Kairi! Get away!" Uryu shouted.

Kairi flash stepped without thinking, appearing behind Uryu. "What happened?" she asked.

"He still had a working tentacle," Izuru breathed from where he laid. "He was going to touch you with it."

Kairi shivered. "You're so sick."

"I do what I can to stay alive. So, are you going to kill me or not. For all any of you know, I've already been able to impregnate part of my cells within her. Do you really want to take that chance?" he cooed.

"Kill him!" Kairi ordered without hesitation. "I'm willing to take that risk. I can almost guarantee that you did not touch me."

"But…if he did…he'll-"

Renji started.

"It doesn't matter! If I die, I trust you guys will manage to kill him," Kairi said, glad she was able to keep the fear out of her voice. _I don't think he touched me…I hope he didn't._

Uryu brought his bow up to Szayel's face and suddenly let loose countless blue arrows, every single one piercing his face or his chest. Everyone waited, muscles tense as he fell back on the floor, clearly dead. But whether or not he was able to get to Kairi. Three wary gazes turned to her and she felt her breath speed up from fear.

_Namine? Can you feel anything?_

_**No…I think we're safe Kairi. There's nothing else here,**_ Namine informed her, sighing.

Kairi let out a sigh of relief. "We're okay. It's okay. I'm fine."

Renji fell to his knees, unable to fully comprehend all that had happened now that the adrenaline was leaving him. Kairi knelt beside Izuru.

"The only thing I can do for you is give you potions and cast Curaga," Kairi told him. "We'll hope for the best, okay?"

"Potions? Curaga?" Uryu questioned.

"My world's method of healing things," Kairi answered quickly, hoping they would leave it at that.

She quickly pulled out a hi-potion and three more regular potions, holding them one at a time to Izuru's lips so he could drink them down. Then she stood up, holding her Keyblade above her head.

"Curaga!"

Green light encased her Keyblade before traveling towards Izuru, fading away once it touched him.

"Can you stand?" she asked.

Izuru shook his head, easing up to a sitting position. "This is the best I can do. It still hurts but…I think I'll be okay…at least for awhile."

Kairi reached into her pockets for more potions. "Who is going to stay with him?" she asked.

"I will," Renji volunteered.

Kairi nodded, handing the potions to him. "If it gets worse, give him one of these. It's all I have left so use them as little as you can."

"Thank you," Izuru breathed.

She smiled. "It's no problem, really."

"Let's keep going," Uryu ordered, tugging at her arm.

"Fine."

ARARAR

Zexion moaned as he slowly regained conscious, wincing at the throbbing pain on the left side of his face, but thankful that it was very dull. The absence of the eye was weird.

"Zexion!" Demyx cried, leaving the comfort of Axel's arms and racing over to him.

Zexion sat up, opening his other eye to look at Demyx. "Dem…"

"Are you okay? Are you in any pain? I'm sorry I forgot about you but the darkness took my memories away! But then I saw you and I remembered everything and that I love you!" Demyx said in a rush.

_Same old Demyx,_ Zexion thought, extending his arms for Demyx. Demyx accepted the invitation, wrapping his arms around Zexion tightly and refusing to let go when Marluxia complained that they had to get moving.

"Shut up plant boy," Axel ordered. "Or do you really want me to roast you alive?"

"Zexy…I missed you," Demyx said quietly.

"I missed you too. I won't leave you anymore. I promise."

"Thank you Zexy."

"As much as I hate to admit it, we do have to get going," Axel sighed. "We have to find Sora and the others after we get through here. The Keyhole and all that."

Demyx nodded, standing up and extending his hand to Zexion. Zexion took it, wobbling a little as he stood but then gave a small smile to show he was okay.

"Alright, let's go! You're lovey dovey looks are disgusting me."

Axel clobbered Marluxia in the head. "Shut up."

"Yes sir."

ARARAR

Renji picked Izuru up gently, carrying him over to a wall and setting him down so he was leaning up against the wall.

"Feeling better?" Renji asked quietly.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Just some pain is all," Izuru said just as quietly.

"I…can't really believe I almost killed you," Renji said, not looking at him.

"I told you to so you don't have to feel guilty about it, Renji. It wasn't like we had a choice at that point," Izuru told him.

"You can't fight Gin like this," Renji suddenly said. "I won't let you. You aren't in any condition."

"I know I can't. It makes me mad," Izuru hissed.

Renji patted his shoulder sympathetically. "I understand, Izuru. Sure, I don't want to _kill_ Byakuya but I'm nowhere strong enough to take him on yet. But I will get stronger. If we had the time, we could teach you bankai but…"

"Stop Renji. I get it. I'm not strong enough."

"I don't mean it in a harsh way, Izuru. But you can't go into a battle you can't win."

"Just shut up Renji. I know that."

"So why are you so wrapped up in fighting Gin anyways? No one wants to lose you! You're a valuable part of the Soul Society and-"

"No I'm not Renji. The only thing I ever did was follow Gin around and did as he ordered, even if I knew it was bad. That makes me just as bad as him," Izuru hissed, fist punching the ground beneath him.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. You are not as bad as him. Don't you dare think that," Renji ordered, moving so he could face Izuru straight on.

Izuru avoided his gaze. "But I am."

"You were being loyal to your captain. You couldn't have possibly known he was going to betray the entire Soul Society."

"But I knew something was wrong and-"

"No. Shut up and stop being angsty. You are valuable to the Soul Society because you are strong and fiercely loyal to those you care about. Maybe at one point that included Gin but not anymore!"

"I'm sorry. For being like this."

"You mean acting like an angsty teenager? Nothing to be sorry about Izuru," Renji told him.

Izuru smiled gently before wincing and turning away from Renji, coughing brutally and splattering blood on the ground. He wiped his mouth and turned back to Renji.

"Sorry. I'm fine. Really," Izuru said. "Don't waste the potions."

"I should take you back to the Soul Society," Renji said worriedly.

"We can't leave everyone now. Don't worry. I'll be fine."

ARARAR

"Here's the girl," Ulquiorra stated, throwing Orihime to the ground in front of Aizen.

She stared up at him fearfully, too scared to move.

"Thank you, Ulquiorra. It seems Szayel has died. I would like you to go find Kurosaki. Wipe him out," Aizen ordered.

"Yes, Aizen-sama."

"No! You said you wouldn't kill my friends!" Orihime shouted.

Ulquiorra met her gaze stonily. "I lied."

ARARAR

Ichigo thudded up the steps as Nel gripped his hair tighter from where she sat on his shoulders.

"Ichijo, where are we going?"

"Who knows but-"

Ichigo froze at the top of the stairs, eyes widening when he saw Ulquiorra descending a stair case on the other side of the room. His hands were in the pockets of his white pants as he came to a stop at the bottom, fixing Ichigo with a cold stare.

"We have captured Orihime. Aizen-sama required her abilities," Ulquiorra said as he began walking towards Ichigo.

"You…did what?" he demanded, picking Nel up off of his shoulders and setting her down behind him.

"I have been sent here to kill you," Ulquiorra continued. "It'd be best if you did not fight."

"Shut up!" Ichigo snapped before lunging directly towards him, whipping Zangetsu off of his back as he did so.

Ulquiorra whipped his hand out of his pocket, blocking the assault easily and then shoving Ichigo back, flipping to the side to avoid the next attack.

_Dammit. His Hollow skin makes it impossible to even come close to scratching him. Let's try this. _

"Bankai!" Ichigo shouted, feeling the familiar heavy sword become lighter, easier to wield. It became completely black and Ichigo couldn't help but smirk before suddenly vanishing, moving behind Ulquiorra to slash at his neck.

Ulquiorra turned around, blocking again with his forearm, his other hand still not leaving his pocket. Ichigo gritted his teeth, pushing down harder in an attempt to force Ulquiorra back but Ulquiorra only pushed back, easily knocking him back before lashing a foot forward. Ichigo slammed into the wall, denting the metal as he did so.

Shaking off the pain, he stood up and quickly raised his hand to the left corner of his face. "Did you know, Ulquiorra, that I am a Vizard?" he asked quietly, drawing the hand across his face and bringing the white and red Hollow mask with it. The whites of his eyes turned black and his brown irises turned a rich golden.

"Now take this! Getsuga Tensho!"

A red lace black wave of energy emitted from the midnight blade, racing towards Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra brought his hand up to block the massive energy attack, expression remaining stoic and calm, even as he was pushed back several inches. Finally, he brought his second hand up before suddenly being engulfed completely. Not waiting to see if he had survived, Ichigo rushed over the rubble Ulquiorra was now buried under to Nel's side, letting the Hollow mask disappear as he picked her up, slinging her under his arm.

"Ichijo was awesome!" she cried, throwing her arms out in front of her as if that would help explain it.

"Did you really think you killed me?" Ulquiorra said calmly, moving aside the rubble as he stood up.

The sleeves of his clothes had been torn off but he remained completely unscathed beyond that.

"How?" Ichigo breathed. Before waiting for an answer he flash stepped behind Ulquiorra, and then up the stairs and out into the cold white world of Hueco Mundo.

He began running without a second thought, enhancing his speed through Spiritual Pressure in hopes to get as far a way from Ulquiorra as possible. The white sands that surrounded Los Noches made it harder to run, even with flash stepping but he was fairly confident he could get away.

"Ichijo!" Nel screamed, pointing to his right.

Ulquiorra had appeared beside him, easily keeping stride. He turned suddenly, lashing his foot into Ichigo's stomach and sending him spiraling back the way he had come, slamming him into the outer walls of Los Noches. Ichigo sucked in a deep breath as he clutched Nel to him, glad she was okay. He got to his feet, wincing in pain and setting Nel down on the ground, urging her to move over a little.

Ulquiorra flash stepped in front of them, staring at Ichigo emotionlessly. Ichigo brought Zangetsu up to attack when suddenly Ulquiorra's foot once again lashed out, sending him straight through the wall and to the ground. Ichigo coughed as he attempted to get up finding that he couldn't, collapsing back on his stomach.

"ICHIJO!" Nel screamed, moving towards him.

"Stay where you are, Nel!" Ichigo ordered.

Ulquiorra stalked towards him, easily climbing over the rubble he had created and stopping a foot away from Ichigo. As a last act of defiance, Ichigo plunged his sword into Ulquiorra's chest, shocked when he saw Ulquiorra didn't appear fazed.

"If you're the strongest," Ichigo panted out. "If you're the strongest Espada…I know that I can beat the others. I just have to worry about you."

"You're wrong," Ulquiorra said, gripping Ichigo's blade and tearing his shirt open.

Ichigo's eyes widened when the shirt opened up, revealing a tattoo on the left of Ulquiorra's pale white chest. _4…he's only the fourth strongest!_

"You should give up. You will never defeat us and Orihime is being taken care of," Ulquiorra said quietly, yanking Ichigo's sword out of his grasp before tossing it to the ground.

_He's right,_ Ichigo thought. _There's no way any of us can take him on. Not me, not Sora, not Riku, nobody. He's…undefeatable._

ARARAR

Sora and Riku made their way up the steps, glancing around the room they emerged in suspiciously. Nothing. Cautiously, they continued into the room, still glancing around as they walked.

"Intruders, Nnoitra-sama," a voice said behind them.

The pair whirled around, startled to see two men, both garbed in white. The one that had spoken wore a simple black eye patch over his right eye, dusty blond hair falling into the visible brown eye. A green dash moved from the bottom of his jaw to did cheek, the only blemish on otherwise perfect skin.

To the right of him stood a taller man, jet black hair hanging straight down to his shoulders in feathery locks. His left eye was covered by a white eye patch that made his sharp and angular features appear even more dangerous. To top it all off, a large scythe was held in one hand, balanced over his shoulder. It had the appearance of two crescent moons, the first curving in and the second going back to back with the first.

"Tesla…I realize there are intruders," Nnoitra said lowly. "There's no need to point out the obvious!"

"I am very sorry Nnoitra-sama! I will not speak again until ordered!" the shorter man said quickly, bowing once before straightening.

"Damn straight. Anyways, hello my little mice. I'm here to smack you around a bit. If I accidentally kill you…I apologize," Nnoitra told them, an evil grin splitting across his lips.


	16. Chapter 16

Orihime was led to her new chambers roughly, the Espada guiding her obviously not caring if she got hurt as she was dragged down the twisting hallways. His name was Grimmjow, at least that's what Aizen had told her. His appearance was frightening to her, the remnants of a jaw and teeth on the left side of his face, as well as the wild slightly insane blue eyes with the matching hair.

"Let me tell you this right now, Pet-sama," Grimmjow started. "I am not taking you to your quarters. I am taking you to Ichigo."

"Really?" she asked hopefully.

"Ulquiorra is beating him up as we speak. You're going to heal Ichigo. Then I'm going to kill him. I am not giving you a choice in the matter. You will do as I order," Grimmjow ordered sternly. "Am I clear?"  
"I won't let you hurt him," Orihime said, jerking her arm out of his grip.

Grimmjow whirled around, throwing her against a wall. "I told you. You do not have a choice in the matter. You will do as you are told and nothing more. Understood?"  
"Yes…" Orihime whimpered.

"Good."

ARARAR

In the end, Zexion ended up being carried by Demyx through the winding hallways and eventually up a set of stairs. Demyx set Zexion down so he could lean up against the wall and then sat down as well, thankful for the rest.

"We're lucky. No problems at all so far," Axel said. "Just that one enemy from before."

Marluxia nodded towards the left of the huge room towards an opening. "I wouldn't be to sure. Hear that?"

Axel listened carefully, surprised when he heard huge thudding footsteps. Seconds later, what appeared to be a giant emerged into the room, staring at them. A grin split across the huge face as he turned towards them, cracking his huge knuckles.

"Look what the cat dragged in," Marluxia sniffed, staring at the huge man disdainfully.

"What did you say?" the man bellowed.

"Well just look at you! Those weird red tattoos are just ugly and what's that thing on your chin?" Marluxia continued.

"It's my Hollow mask!" the man shouted, rubbing at the bone that covered his chin.

"It's tacky," Marluxia told him.

"I'll beat you to tiny pieces," he growled, lumbering towards him.

Suddenly a jet of water hit him directly in the face. He blinked stupidly, trying to find where the source was. His eyes found a determined looking Demyx, the blue sitar in hand.

"By attacking us, you are threatening Zexion's safety. That is something I will not stand for," Demyx informed him. "Your name, brute?"

"My name is Yammy! I'm gonna pound you to a pulp!" he roared, lunging at Demyx.

Demyx whapped Yammy straight across the face with the edge of his sitar, lashing the man's head to the right. Marluxia took the opportunity to whip out his pink scythe, twirling it once before sinking it into Yammy's back. Yammy's expression became that of annoyance.

"What's with the freaking bug?" he growled, turning to face Marluxia straight on. Before anyone could move, a fist slammed into Marluxia, sending him spiraling across the room. He hit the ground and didn't move.

"You bastard," Axel growled lowly. "I don't care if I didn't like Marluxia. The Organization is still alive and you hurt him! You'll pay! Burn!"

His chakrams appeared in a whirl of fire and he threw them both directly towards the large man, grinning when they hit him square in the chest. He summoned the chakrams back to him before sending a crashing wave of fire at him and then lunging in, slamming one chakram directly into the top of his head.

Yammy froze, unmoving. Blood dripped down his face as Axel vaulted over his head, landing behind him, both chakrams in hand. Then, with a crashing boom, he fell to the ground. Demyx forced his sitar to disappear and then rushed to Marluxia's side, Axel on his heels.

"Marly! You alive?" Axel asked hurriedly, shaking the pink haired man.

Marluxia coughed roughly, blood splattering on the ground as he pushed himself onto his hands and knees, still coughing.

"Bastard did something to my lungs. Can't breath," he wheezed.

Axel hurriedly pulled out a potion as Zexion got to his feet, slowly making his way over to them, wobbling every few steps. When he finally reached them, he knelt beside Marluxia, hands moving to his chest and probing at his ribs without speaking.

"What the-agh! That hurt! Stop," Marluxia hissed.

"Just as I thought. One of his ribs cut into his lung. If we don't hurry, he'll drown in his own blood," Zexion said quietly.

"What do we do?" Axel demanded.

"I…don't know," Zexion admitted. "Marluxia…can you put your vines-"

"Down my throat and into my chest?" Marluxia finished, coughing again, more blood dribbling out of his mouth. "Pull out the rib?"

"Um…yes," Zexion said.

"It'd be easier if you just cut me open…removed the freaking rib…use a potion to seal the lung and the wound," Marluxia wheezed.

Zexion nodded, forcing Marluxia onto his back and unzipping the cloak. A harsh bruise covered Marluxia's entire chest and Zexion checked his pulse. It was rapidly slowing down and becoming fainter, signaling they didn't have a lot of time.

"We don't have a high chance of this working. You still want to go through with it?" Zexion asked.

"Just do it, bookworm," Marluxia ordered. "I can take the pain."  
Zexion tugged off Marluxia's gloves and put them on, wondering faintly what had happened to his own. But then he turned to Axel. "Cut his chest open for me please."

Axel nodded, deathly pale before sinking the chakram in and tearing open the skin and muscle quickly. Marluxia struggled not to cry out but was unable to stop the tears that beaded at his eyes and fell down his face. Demyx took off one of his gloves and shoved it into Marluxia's mouth.

"Bite down on that," he ordered.

Zexion swallowed before moving his hands into the now easily displayed ribcage. Blood poured onto the ground and soaked into the gloves as he gripped the delicate rib, slowly pulling out of the throbbing lung an inch at a time until it was finally free. Marluxia had bit clean through the leather glove by this point, hands scrabbling for purchase on the cold ground as unbearable pain took a hold of him, refusing to let go.

"Potion," Zexion ordered hoarsely.

Axel quickly gave him one and Zexion poured it on the hole in the lung, sighing when it began sealing up before realigning the rib with the other one. He poured another potion on that, watching as it slowly connected and began healing. Several more potions were used to heal the gaping cavity of Marluxia's chest, leaving a large and jagged scar. Tears were flowing freely by that point, washing on the ground and mixing with the copious amounts of blood on the floor.

"Can you move at all?" Zexion asked quietly, stripping the blood soaked gloves off and tossing them aside.

Marluxia shook his head, spitting out the glove and gasping in pain as his body struggled to begin the healing process with the help of the potions. He was surprised he hadn't passed out, though he was beginning to wish he had.

"Someone should stay with him," Axel said. "We obviously can't leave him here alone."

"Someone should go find Kairi," Demyx suggested. "Or Sora or Riku. They're good at healing."

"I'll go," Axel said with a nod. "You stay and watch these two."

Demyx nodded. "Hurry."

Axel nodded once before running off down the left hallway.

ARARAR

Sora barely managed to block the first blow Nnoitra dealt him, sliding back several feet from the strength of the hit. Riku was on Nnoitra in seconds only to have Nnoitra lash out his free hand, knocking him aside before dancing back from Sora, going in again with a dangerous slice.

"Come on you two! Give me more of a fight! You can never win or enjoy the thrill of battle if you don't fight to kill!" Nnoitra cried, slicing at Sora relentlessly.

Sora blocked the heavy scythe each time though it became increasingly harder. Riku watched, trying to find a good point to attack Nnoitra but finding it near impossible. Then he remembered what the man had just said. _You can never win if you don't fight to kill...it's like what Ikkaku and Kenpachi said._

_**You need me this time, Riku. Admit it. I'll let you use my powers and I won't even try and posses your body,**_Ansem cooed, his offer sounding very tempting due to the situation.

_I can't trust you,_ Riku thought, circling closer to Nnoitra.

_**I won't. I believe this is the perfect time to trust me,**_ Ansem said.

_Why isn't Riku helping me!_ Sora thought frantically, ducking into a roll and barely dodging the insanely powerful attack Nnoitra sent at him.

"I believe the stronger enemy is behind you," Riku stated. "Turn around and face me Nnoitra. I'll give you the fight you've been looking for."

Nnoitra whirled around; grin widening when he saw what was displayed before him. Sora gasped. The dark being that had once been the servant of Ansem not lurked behind Riku, its muscular black arms flexing as the golden eyes pierced Nnoitra.

_He hadn't given in to Ansem has he?_ Sora thought.

_**No…it's like when he fought me. He's in control,**_Roxas informed him. _**Get back though. We don't want to distract them. **_

Sora scrambled back on his hands to the far wall, watching as Riku leveled Way to Dawn at Nnoitra.

"If you're going to come, then come," Riku ordered.

Nnoitra cackled and lunged. The dark servant suddenly appeared in front of Riku, rendering the attack useless and propelling Nnoitra back, leaving a second of an opening. Riku seized it, plunging Way to Dawn straight into Nnoitra's upper arm and slashing down across his chest.

"You actually managed to cut me!" Nnoitra shouted. "Amazing! You truly will be an amazing opponent."

"I hope so," Riku said, eyes lighting up with excitement.

He jumped back and then forward again, blade locking with the huge scythe. The screech of metal against metal wailed through the air, forcing Sora to cover his ears at the horrible sound. Nnoitra jerked his wrists, slashing open Riku's arm only to have the dark being behind him come forward, vanishing from sight when it touched him. Nnoitra's eyes jerked open wide when a sudden pain lanced through him, sending him to his knees.

"My servant is spreading the power of darkness through you, causing you as much pain as possible. How does it feel?" Riku asked.

Sora curled up on himself, unable to look at Riku. Was that really him? Was that sadistic light in his eyes…it couldn't possibly be Riku, could it?

"Bastard," Nnoitra growled, seizing his scythe and slicing it at Riku.

Riku nimbly jumped back as his servant emerged from Nnoitra's body, moving to protect him without a second thought. Then its fist whipped into Nnoitra's head, sending him sprawling. He coughed and then jumped up, sending his scythe straight at Riku's neck.

"Never have I had such joy fighting someone! Really! I think you and I should keep fighting forever! Don't tell me you don't feel it, this battle high," Nnoitra cackled.

Riku grinned back before lunging in. The next minutes were a blur of colors and screeching metal, each of them determined to bring down the other with no end in sight. Blood washed the ground from wounds on both sides, neither paying their wounds any mind.

Sora somehow managed to curl up tighter, crushing his eyes tight and holding his hands over his ears, trying to block out the sound of Riku and Nnoitra's insane laughter as they fought to the death, repeating over and over in his mind that this wasn't the true Riku. It was just Ansem influencing his feelings.

Nnoitra landed on his back with a thud, his scythe clattering across the room as Riku leveled Way to Dawn to his neck.

"Ready to die?" he asked.

Suddenly he was knocked aside by Tesla and Nnoitra's eyes narrowed.

"Tesla! What are you doing?" Nnoitra growled dangerously.

"I'm so sorry Nnoitra-sama. I couldn't help myself! I just couldn't watch you die!" Tesla apologized furiously. "I apologize a thousand times!"

Nnoitra snorted in disgust, knocking Tesla to the ground as he stood up. "You're getting it rough tonight. I mean it. I'm not giving you any mercy."

Riku pulled a face at the implications.

"I understand Nnoitra-sama. I will accept any punishment you see fit!" Tesla muttered.

Nnoitra turned to Riku. "It's been fun. But now I'm leaving. I just needed a little entertainment."

Riku nodded, not about to protest against weaseling out of a battle. Nnoitra suddenly disappeared, Tesla vanishing right after that. Slowly, Riku turned to Sora, wincing when he saw Sora staring at him fearfully. He vanished the dark servant, quickly thanking Ansem and then stepping towards Sora.

"Sora…I'm sorry…It's just…when I use his powers…he influences my feeling sometimes," Riku said softly, kneeling down next to him.

"I…I'm sorry…I just got scared…again," Sora mumbled sheepishly. "Roxas told me you were in control but I just…was scared…for you."

Riku stroked his hand against Sora's face, leaning forward to capture his lips gently, slipping his body in between Sora's legs and pinning him to the wall. Sora was surprised but slid his hands up Riku's chest, gently running his fingers gently over the wounds before letting out a startled moan when Riku slipped his tongue into his mouth.

"Riku," he murmured, pulling away. "Your wounds. And we're still in enemy territory."

"Sorry," Riku muttered sheepishly. "Couldn't help it."

Sora nodded into his shoulder, pulling out a potion and giving it to Riku. Riku drew back, quickly taking care of his wounds before getting to his feet, swinging his arms and stretching his legs.

"That's better. Shall we continue?" Riku asked.

Sora nodded, getting to his feet as well. Unable to help himself, he snuck another kiss from Riku, drawing a way seconds later.

"Riku, Sora!" a voice shouted.

Riku and Sora whirled around, startled to see Axel running across the ground towards them.

"Where's Demyx?" Sora demanded.

"You have to come with me. I'll explain as we go," Axel said hurriedly, grabbing both of their arms and forcing them into a run.

ARARAR

"Ichigo is in trouble," Uryu said as he and Kairi made their way through more twisted hallways. "His Spiritual Pressure is close to going out."

"So what do you want to do?" Kairi asked, sliding to a halt.

"I guess it's our job to rescue everyone," Uryu sighed.

ARARAR

Ichigo slowly rose to his knees, determined to do as much damage to Ulquiorra as possible. Ulquiorra watched him emotionlessly as he walked over to his sword, picking it up and turning around, leveling it at his neck. But before he could move, Ulquiorra was directly in front of him, hand punching through his chest. Ichigo's eyes widened when he realized where Ulquiorra had hit him.

Ulquiorra jerked his hand out before turning around, once again placing his hands in his pockets as he strode away from him. Ichigo collapsed to the ground, blood pouring out of the perfectly circular hole in his chest.

"Just stay where you are. You're as good as dead," Ulquiorra called over his shoulder.

ARARAR

"Eh, figures," Grimmjow growled, dropping Orihime to the ground in front of Ichigo's still form.

"Grimmjow-thama," a small voice murmured.

Grimmjow turned around, seeing a small girl peek around the corner of the crushed wall. "Freaking brat. Just shut up."

Orihime ignored the others, turning Ichigo over, wincing at what she saw. Grimmjow peered over her shoulder.

"Figures. He always kills his opponents that way. Puts his hand right where his hollow hole would be," Grimmjow muttered.

"Hollow hole?" Orihime questioned.

"We all have hollow holes from when we become hollows. Now just shut up and heal him!" Grimmjow ordered, moving to sit on a piece of stone.

Orihime nodded, fighting back tears as she summoned the small fairies within her hair piece. They quickly formed the golden orange shield over Ichigo's injured body, the injuries beginning to heal instantly.

"Orihime!" Uryu shouted as he and Kairi appeared beside the broken wall.

"What the fuck is with all these interruptions?" Grimmjow growled, getting to his feet and whirling around, face splitting into a grin. "A Quincy. And one of the brats. This'll be fun."

"Why is Orihime here?" Uryu demanded, willing his spider web like bow into appearance. Kairi did the same with her Keyblade.

"I brought her here. I can't fight injured prey. It'll only be fun if he's at full strength. Though Aizen will probably kill me for going against his orders," Grimmjow explained nonchalantly. "She's supposed to be here for his uses."

"Orihime, run!" Uryu ordered.

"He's right, get out of here Orihime," Ichigo wheezed, slowly coming up on his hands and knees, grabbing Zangetsu as he did so.

"But I-"

"I see you're healed, Ichigo Kurosaki," Grimmjow cried.

"Grimmjow…so you're back to finish up things from earlier, aren't you?"

"Earlier?" Kairi questioned.

"Grimmjow attacked out town awhile back. Ulquiorra stopped him," Uryu hurriedly explained. "Now, I want you to take Orihime and run. Get back to Renji and Izuru, okay?"

"Can you handle him?" Kairi asked.

"Yes, we can," a new voice said.

Ichigo's eyes widened when he saw Nel…or was it Nel? Where Nel had once stood was now a full grown woman, long emerald hair flowing down her back, a sword gripped tightly in her hand.

"Nel Tu!" Grimmjow said. "It's been awhile."

"I've returned, obviously. I didn't have memories until now," Nel said quietly, her voice much more mature. "Now go and protect Orihime."

Kairi nodded, flash stepping behind Ichigo and grabbing Orihime's arm.

"But wait!" Orihime started.

"Come on!" Kairi barked, jerking her along. She quickly cast a Firaga spell, blasting the other wall open and leading Orihime back into Los Noches.

Nel drew her sword, eyes deadly serious. Uryu and Ichigo quickly readied themselves for attack and Grimmjow smirked.

"This will be fun."

ARARAR

"I can't believe you made me leave," Orihime trilled as Kairi dragged her along.

"Did you want to get killed?" Kairi demanded, angry at how the girl was acting.

"But I was healing him!"

"He's obviously fine if he could stand," Kairi snapped. "If you can stand, you can fight."

Orihime was about to object more when they entered the room Renji and Izuru were at. Renji was forcing Izuru to down another potion before Izuru coughed roughly, splattering blood across the floor.

"Orihime!" Renji cried. "Thank God! You need to help Izuru."

Izuru glanced up at her.

"Oh! Of course! Right away!" Orihime said briskly, breaking free of Kairi and racing over to them.

The orange shield appeared again as Izuru was forced to lie down on his back. Kairi sat down beside Renji.

"How many potions to I have left?"  
"Three. He started coughing up blood soon after you and Uryu left. Speaking of which, where is Uryu?"

"He's helping Ichigo and Nel Tu fight Grimmjow," Kairi answered. "I had to get Orihime out of there."

"Why is she here in the first place?" Renji asked.

"Aizen wanted her," Kairi answered, unsure if the name held any significance.

"Have you come across Axel or the others yet?"

"No. I think they're okay though, if they haven't come for help."

"Kairi! We need your help!" Sora shouted as he raced into the room, panting.

Kairi quickly got to her feet. "What is it?"

"Marluxia…he's in a lot of trouble. Zexion tried to help him but there's more damage to his organs and-"

"Whoa! Marluxia? Zexion?"  
"They've come back, just like Axel and Demyx," Sora explained quickly. "Now come on! Riku can only keep him alive for so long!"

Kairi shot a glance at the others. "I'll be right back. When Orihime's done, come find us. I might need help."

Renji nodded and then Kairi and Sora were off, tearing through the halls back to where the others were.


	17. Chapter 17

Uryu started things off, sending a barrage of blue arrows straight at Grimmjow. Grimmjow neatly dodged and then slammed his fist behind him to hit Ichigo who had been lunging to attack. His other fist knocked into Nel, forcing her back several feet. She recovered neatly, racing towards him and drawing her sword, jumping into the air and sinking the emerald blade into his shoulder.

He growled angrily, seizing the blade and ripping it out of his shoulder, swinging it and Nel straight at Ichigo and knocking them both over. He turned to Uryu and moved to punch him. Uryu sent several arrows straight into his fist and Grimmjow ripped them out, swinging his other fist. But Nel was there, blocking with her sword as Ichigo came up behind him, sweeping his huge blade into his side.

Grimmjow whirled around, paying no mind to the arrows that sank into his back as he slammed his fist into Ichigo's gut. Ichigo flipped through the air, bracing his feet on the wall and shooting towards him, pulling out his Hollow Mask as he did so.

"Getsuga Tensho!" he shouted, sending the curling black and red energy straight at him.

Grimmjow flipped back, drawing his own sword, blocking the energy and then sending a cero blast straight back at him, whirling back around to block Nel's sword and then slash at Uryu. Uryu blocked with his bow before moving to kick at his stomach. Grimmjow caught his leg, twisting the ankle brutally until it snapped and then shoving him back onto the ground, successfully taking him out of the battle.

He turned his attention back to Nel and Ichigo, blocking each of their high speed hits, all the while grinning.

"You guys make this so fun," he said as they both jumped back, panting.

The Hollow Mask fell away and Ichigo struggled not to fall to his knees. Orihime hadn't fully cured him.

"Declare, Gamuza" Nel shouted.

A light flashed and when it died, Nel had turned into a centaur like creature. In her hand she gripped a double edged lance. She twirled it once and then rushed towards Grimmjow, throwing the lance as she did so. The lance moved too fast for the eye to keep track of, piercing straight into Grimmjow's chest. Grimmjow choked before ripping the lanced out, snapping it on his knee and tossing it to the ground.

"Just because you used to be an Espada doesn't mean that your rank matters anymore! You used to be a rank above Ulquiorra, right? Well not anymore. The ranks have change, Nel Tu!" Grimmjow shouted. "Grind, Pantera!"

His sword glowed before vanishing as Grimmjow's features changed shape. Jagged claws appeared and fangs sprouted out of the sides of his mouth. A long, thick, whip-like tail lashed side to side as he suddenly bunched up his legs, pouncing at Nel.

Nel reared up in the air as he landed on her back, clawing her viciously until she fell to the ground, reverting back to her human form, unconscious and bleeding. Seconds later, she turned back into a little girl.

"Getsuga Tensho!" Ichigo hissed angrily, blasting Grimmjow with the energy.

Grimmjow whirled around, taking the blast full power…or at least that's what he looked like. Blue energy clawed the attack apart and Grimmjow sprang, claws sinking into Zangetsu and cracking the metal.

"Bad move!" Ichigo hissed. "Bankai! Getsuga Tensho!"

In less than a second, Ichigo moved into Bankai, firing the attack and sending Grimmjow spiraling through the air, falling dead and bleeding onto the sand. His panther like appearance died and he returned to human form, eyes wide and staring.

Ichigo fell to his knees from the loss of energy, barely managing to crawl over to Nel as Uryu struggled up onto his one foot.

"Nel…don't be dead…please don't," Ichigo whispered, gently touching the side of her neck where her pulse was. It was faint and barely beating but it was enough to signal she was alive.

"We have to get her to Orihime," Ichigo murmured.

"I can't walk," Uryu said from behind him, balancing on his good foot.

"Then I'll have to," Ichigo said, slowly staggering to her feet.

"Why, Ichigo? You barely know her and you're almost dead yourself!" Uryu cried. "You don't have the energy to get there!"

"She helped us fight. I have to repay her!" Ichigo hissed, picking up the limp child and heading for the hole Kairi had created. "I'll bring Orihime back to you."

Uryu shook his head as he watched his friend disappear back into Los Noches.

ARARAR

Kairi drank down another ether before casting Curaga again. For some reason, she had more skill at healing then either Sora or Riku and within ten Curagas Marluxia was close to being completely healed. All of his crushed organs were in working condition and his rib had healed fully as had his ripped lung. The scar, however, would no go away and remained even after several more spells.

"Can you walk now?" Axel asked as Marluxia sat up.

"Yeah. I feel fine," Marluxia said, surprised by the fact. "You're good."

"Thanks. We should get back to the others though. Izuru…he was badly injured and I don't know how long it will take for Orihime to heal him," Kairi said.

"Orihime? That one chick that was supposed to stay behind?" Axel asked as the seven of them began following after Kairi.

"She was forced here by Aizen, at least that's what we heard."

"And I still haven't gotten a whiff of the Keyhole yet. If it's here, we're too far a way," Riku reported.

"This is all taking so much time…and everyone is getting hurt," Sora murmured.

Riku comfortingly put his arm around Sora's waist, kissing his forehead gently. "Don't worry. Everything will work out."

"But at what price?"

ARARAR

Ichigo staggered into the room, falling to his knees ten feet away from Orihime and the others.

"Ichigo!" Renji shouted, rushing to his side.

Orihime risked a glance backward, eyes widening in horror at Nel's blood covered form. Izuru glanced around her to see Nel and then turned to Orihime.

"Go take care of the little one first. I'll be fine for now," Izuru ordered.

Orihime nodded, vanishing the orange shield and then moving it to cover both Nel and Ichigo. Ichigo passed out seconds later beside Nel and Renji moved back to Izuru, helping him sit up.

"Feeling better?" he asked.

"Yeah. A lot better. Thank you, Renji," Izuru suddenly said.

"For what?" Renji asked, turning to look at him.

"I was thinking about what you said…about how I'm valuable to the Soul Society and…you're right. And I just want to thank you for helping me realize that," Izuru said softly.

Renji grinned. "Any time. You're one of my best friend's Izuru. I'm not going to let you mope around and be sad."

Izuru smiled once, gratefully, before letting his head fall on Renji's shoulder, asleep seconds later. Renji didn't move, unsure of what to think at first but then moved his hand up to gently run through pale blond locks. Shooting a glance at Orihime and the others to make sure they weren't looking, he quickly kissed the top of his head.

He wouldn't deny that in just the past few hours he had developed a longing for some sort of intimacy with his best friend. In all honesty, he didn't know what had brought it on, only that he wanted to be able to kiss the broken boy and make him forget all about any relationship he may had had with Gin. He wanted to be the only one in the blond's life.

But the thoughts would have to wait until later. For now, he still had to deal with Aizen and helping the others find the Keyhole. As if summoned by this thoughts, Sora, Riku, Kairi, Axel, Demyx, and two unfamiliar faces rushed into the room.

"Ichigo? Nel!" Kairi shouted, abandoning her friends and rushing over to Orihime's side. "Are they okay?"

"They're going to be fine," Orihime said, giving her a quick smile.

"Hey Renji. Looking good," Axel said, nodding in his direction. "Care to tell us anything?"

Renji blushed, removing his hand from Izuru's hair, drawing laughter from Axel. "Just teasing. Anyways, Demyx got his memories back. And Zexion returned…and so did Marluxia."

"Members from that organization, I'm guessing?" Renji asked.

"Yep. I have no idea why they're showing up but I can't say I mind. Well…unless Mansex or his dog shows up."

"Saix is an evil man bitch," Marluxia snapped.

Renji snorted. "You guys obviously _love_ your superiors," he said sarcastically.

"Saix is not my superior," Zexion said coolly.

Renji noted that Demyx was hanging over Zexion like a lovesick puppy, guessing the return of the stoic man must've been what triggered Demyx to remember everything.

"Where's Uryu?" Sora asked as he came to stand above Kairi and Orihime, Riku right behind him.

"Oh god! Uryu!" Kairi gasped. "We have to go find him! Follow me!"

Kairi took off running and Riku and Sora didn't hesitate to follow after her, racing up a set up steps and through a set of winding hallways before entering another room, one of the walls revealing the outside world through a gaping hole. Uryu was stretched out on one of the piles of rubble, glancing over at them when they rushed outside.

"Did Ichigo get to you guys? And Nel?" he asked, expression pained.

"They're going to be fine. What happened to you?" Kairi asked.

"Broken ankle. Maybe my leg too but I can't be sure," Uryu admitted, hissing through clenched teeth when Kairi gently touched it.

She quickly cast Curaga several times, sighing in relief when the bruising disappeared. She wavered slightly from energy loss and Sora quickly grabbed her elbows to keep her up right.

"Thanks Kairi," Uryu said, quickly adjusting his glasses. "Should we head back to the others?"

ARARAR

"Grimmjow, Yammy, and Szayel are all dead. Zommari was killed in action at Kakura Town. Nnoitra has disappeared and now Stark has turned on us," Aizen grumbled, his usually calm face clearly displaying his annoyance. "And Ichigo is not dead. I see you did not finish the job, Ulquiorra. And what's more, Orihime is gone."

Ulquiorra didn't respond, staying in his kneeled position.

"Don'tcha think you're bein' a little too harsh?" Gin asked from his place behind Aizen. "He couldn't 've known Ichigo would survive a stab through his chest. Can't control Grimmjow either."

"Gin…" Aizen said warningly.

"Sorry Aizen-sama."

"So what do you want to do?" Tousen asked quietly from where he sat, kneeled, on Aizen's left.

"Ulquiorra…I am unsatisfied with you're work. I think a harsh punishment is in order," Aizen said calmly, his Spiritual Pressure spiking to the point that Ulquiorra collapsed down on all fours from the strength.

"I believe you are right," Ulquiorra gritted out, keeping his voice calm and his expression emotionless.

"Gin…do what you like with him," Aizen ordered.

Gin smiled. "As ya wish, Aizen-sama. Come on."

Ulquiorra got to his feet as the Spiritual Pressure died down, following after Gin, head down.

"Tousen."

"Yes Aizen-sama?"

"Go play with them a bit. I'll give you some control of the Heartless to help you out," Aizen said.

"Yes, Aizen-sama."

ARARAR

All thirteen of the intruders sat in the center of the room Orihime had healed Nel and Ichigo in. Izuru was still fast asleep, head on Renji's lap and arms curled around his leg, much to Renji's extreme embarrassment.

"So what's the plan from here on out?" Ichigo asked. "We're here because of you guys, so you lead."

Sora nodded. "Well…we still haven't found the Keyhole."

"It's higher up," Riku added quickly. "I could sense it when we were outside Los Noches."

"Where do we go from here though?" Uryu asked.

"Well…we've only got two choices," Sora said. "There's only two other hallways that we haven't traveled down. We'll have to split up again."

"Kairi should be in one group, Orihime in the other. They're the best at healing," Ichigo said. "And Nel stays with me."

Nel nodded firmly from on top of his head. "Though I wish I wasn't in this body. At least I remember what happened now."

"What did happen?" Ichigo asked.

"Not now Ichigo."

"Right. So anyways. Groups. Ichigo, you go with Orihime, Renji, Izuru, and Marluxia. Riku, Kairi, Demyx, Zexion, Axel, and Uryu will stay with me," Sora said. That's…sort of even."

"I can fight," Nel said firmly.

"No you can't. You aren't even big enough to lift up your sword now," Ichigo sighed, indicating the sword that was now strapped to his hip.

Nel glared down at him.

Renji shook Izuru away as the others got up.

"What…oh sorry!" he cried, scrambling to his feet and releasing Renji's leg, glad no one commented on it.

"It's fine Izuru," Renji told him. "What hallway are we taking?"

"We'll take the left. You guys take the right," Ichigo ordered, motioning for his group to follow him.

Sora nodded and moved to the right. Once again, the groups were separated


	18. Chapter 18

Tousen strode through the hallways, heading for where Aizen had told him he could find Sora. Behind him, he could sense the ever present Wonderweiss trailing behind him. He stopped, not bothering to turn around because he couldn't see the boy anyways.

"Wonderweiss, go back to my quarters and wait for me there. I am not taking you into battle," he said sternly.

"I…I…want to stay…w-with you," Wonderweiss said shakily, stumbling over the words. It was hard to talk for him but Tousen had been helping lately.

Tousen sighed, turning to face the smaller Arrancar. "I will return shortly. Just wait in my quarters and I'll talk to you later."

"No. Staying with you," Wonderweiss said firmly.

Wonderweiss couldn't understand why Tousen wouldn't let him come. He could fight! So sure, he was a little unsteady and extremely under developed but he wanted to help the man that had taken him in when the others had rejected him. He scratched at his blond hair before reaching out and grabbing Tousen's elbow.

"Please."

Tousen sighed. "Fine. But stay out of the way and don't get hurt."

Wonderweiss nodded excitedly, happy that he could be with him.

ARARAR

"The scent is getting stronger," Riku said as they headed up another flight of stairs. "It's moving too."

"How can the Keyhole be moving?" Kairi demanded.

"Like I'd know. I can just tell it's moving."

"Maybe the Keyhole is a person," Axel suggested.

"Don't be stupid," Zexion sighed. "That makes no logical sense at all."

They raced up another flight of stairs, sliding to a stop on a black marble floor. The room they had emerged in wasn't that big but there was enough space to fight if anyone else showed up.

"The Keyhole is moving towards us," Riku said. "Do we wait here?"

Sora nodded. "It's coming towards us so why bother going after it?"

Everyone watched the opening to the other hallway on the other side of the room tensely, waiting for whatever the Keyhole was to emerge. Finally, a dark skinned man stepped through, dressed in a plain black hakama similar to that of the Shinigami. Dark hair was weaved in braids and fell down the man's back, silver goggle like glasses covering his eyes and hiding them from view.

Behind him lurked a small boy dressed in similar clothing to Ulquiorra with a small helmet made of bone, just like all the others. Messy blond hair stuck out in all directions as violet eyes peered at them curiously. Uryu's eyes fell to the small opening in his chest, which his clothing revealed. It was supposed to be his Hollow hole, Uryu knew. Only it wasn't a hole…

"The Keyhole…it really was in a fucking person," Axel said quietly. "Told you Zexion!"

"Keyhole?" Tousen questioned softly. "What do you mean?"  
Sora saw the chance for negotiations and quickly took the opportunity. "Well you see, the only reason we're here is to lock the Keyhole. If we do that, we can go."

"And if you lock this Keyhole…what does it do?" Tousen asked, reaching a hand back to grab Wonderweiss's shoulder.

"The Heartless will stop," Sora said. "I can't let the Heartless roam. They'll destroy the world if allowed to do so."

"I meant what will it do to Wonderweiss," Tousen corrected himself.

"I…don't know," Sora admitted.

Tousen drew his sword in one fluid motion. "Then I am afraid I cannot let you near him."

Wonderweiss shrank back when several Anti-Soras sprang up from the ground, advancing towards the group in menacing steps. Demyx willed his sitar into existence as Axel drew his chakrams. Zexion stepped back, knowing he wasn't in the condition to fight.

Sora lunged forward with Kairi to engage three Anti-Soras at once while Demyx and Axel moved after the others.

"You get rid of him!" Sora ordered Riku.

Riku sprinted across the room, slamming Way to Dawn into Tousen's blade as the man blocked.

"Are you blind?" Riku grunted out, taking a slice at the man's shoulder.

"Yes but as you can see, I am more than capable to fight," Tousen said quietly, forcing Riku back several feet before managing to get a good sized cut in his shoulder.

Riku cast a quick Cure spell and lunged right back in, swinging as fast as he could and trying to get an opening to appear for him to take. All the while, his eyes kept creeping back to Wonderweiss, wondering if Sora would be able to lock the Keyhole knowing that such a gentle looking child could be injured in the process. Tousen smacked the flat of his blade into Riku's cheek, sending him sprawling across the ground.

"I do not want to kill you but if you endanger Wonderweiss, I will be forced to do so."

"We have to stop the Heartless. It doesn't matter if you can control them! They'll swallow your heart eventually!" Riku growled from his position on the floor. "I can't let that happen to anyone!"

"Then you will die. Bankai."

Sora dealt the final blow to one of the Anti-Soras, turning to check on Riku only to see a black balloon like shape had encased the entire other half of the room, completely hiding Tousen and Riku from view. As soon as the other Heartless were taken care of, they rushed to the side of the black like substance.

Zexion tested it with one hand. "Hard as stone. We can't break through. Whatever is going on inside it will happen without us."

"And I can't reach the Keyhole either," Sora hissed.

_Everything is dark…I can't see…I can't hear…I can't move…what's going on?_ Riku thought, fear gripping his heart tight. _It's like being swallowed by the darkness all over again! NO!_

_**Calm down! This isn't the darkness. But-**_

__Riku let out a startled cry when a sword slashed across his stomach and he saw Tousen race by before his vision and hearing disappeared again completely.

_**He's got you trapped in some bizarre place that gets rid of your senses obviously. Now think. This reminds you of the darkness, doesn't it?**_

___Yes…_

_**So give over to the darkness again. If you do, a place like this will have no affect on you.**_

___You…won't control my body will you?_

_**God, you sound like a beaten puppy. Haven't I already proven that to you? Now let the darkness in Riku,**_Ansem cooed.

Tousen lunged in for another hit when suddenly, Riku turned, Way to Dawn clashing with his blade. Shock washed through him. _How can he move? Is this like when I fought Kenpachi? No…he knew I was attacking beforehand! _

"I'm allowing the darkness to take control of me," a voice said, though it was definitely not Riku's. "By doing so, your little technique is useless."

"Who are you?" Tousen breathed.

"My name is Ansem. I dwell inside the boy. Now die!"

Tousen cried out, releasing his hold on his bankai as he fell to the ground, blood pouring from his chest and onto the ground. He heard Wonderweiss race towards him and then the startled gasps of the others.

"Riku…your eyes!" Sora breathed.

"I'm not Riku," Ansem snapped, turning to Sora.

Instead of the aquamarine eyes Sora was used to, a violent orange glared at him defiantly.

"Let Riku go!" Sora shouted angrily.

"With pleasure. I was merely helping him out," Ansem said. "Take him."

The eyes fluttered close and when they opened again they were the familiar blue again. "The Keyhole Sora. Now, while you have the chance."  
"No!" Tousen shouted, grabbing Wonderweiss and shielding him with his own body, determined to defend the boy to the death.

"Move, please," Sora said quietly, eyes deadly serious. "I can't guarantee you'll be alright if the beam goes through you too."

Tousen didn't move at all, even as Sora stepped closer. Wonderweiss clung to Tousen, shaking.

"T-Tousen…am I g-going to b-be alright?" he stuttered.

"Yes…you'll be fine Wonderweiss…it's alright. It's going to be okay," Tousen murmured, hugging the boy tighter as his eyes picked up the sound of gathering energy.

"Sora! Don't! We can't do this! What if they die?" Kairi cried, falling to her knees as tears started running down her face.

"It's got to be done Kairi," Riku said quietly, grabbing her arms when she tried to run towards Sora.

The beam shot from the Keyblade, straight through Tousen and into the Keyhole. An audible locking sound could be heard echoing around the room as well as a choked gasp coming from Tousen. He released Wonderweiss and doubled over, coughing and clutching at his chest before falling to the ground completely, shuddering. Wonderweiss lay on the ground stunned, eyes still open as he drew in shaky breaths. His eyes found Tousen's shuddering figure and he slowly got onto his hands and knees, crawling over to the man.

"T-Tousen," he whimpered.

"He's…okay," Kairi breathed.

"Yeah…but Tousen isn't," Riku said.

"D-don't leave me," Wonderweiss continued. "T-Tousen?"

"Wonderweiss," Tousen wheezed, tossing aside the glasses covering his eyes and opening them, wishing he could see Wonderweiss at least once. It seemed he was granted his wish. He had no idea why, maybe it was because he had been struck by the beam of light. Regardless, he could see Wonderweiss.

A shaky hand extended, ruffling blond hair and wiping away stray tears that had begun to fall from violet eyes.

"Don't leave…" Wonderweiss whimpered, clutching at the hand.

Tousen closed his eyes, sucking in one last breath before going still, his hand dropping to the ground.

"T-Tousen? Tousen? Tousen!"

The last part was screamed and Kairi burst into tears, unable to stop them. It was as if everyone in the room could feel the pain of the one little boy. Sora fell to his knees, eyes blank as he tried to comprehend what he had just done.

_Roxas…I'm a horrible person…I can't believe I did that…_

_**Sora…you aren't a horrible person. You're the nicest, kindest person I have ever known and what you did was for the good of the majority,**_Roxas countered.

Wonderweiss collapsed against Tousen, sobbing helplessly against the still form. Was he really gone? The person that had shown him acceptance? The person who had helped him learn how to talk? Was it his fault? Was it because of him Tousen was gone? Because Tousen had protected him?

"My fault…" Wonderweiss murmured. "All mine. All mine. Sorry. Sorry. So sorry. Tousen…"

Riku picked Sora up and cradled him to his chest, motioning for the others to follow him. Uryu shot a glance at Wonderweiss, unable to pull himself away and after the others. Gently, he touched the boy's shoulder.

Wonderweiss turned to him, wide violet eyes taking him in as tears blurred his vision. "Tousen…"

"Do you want to come with us?" Uryu asked softly, extending a hand down to him.

"Is he insane?" Axel hissed.

"Let's bring him with us," Sora said quietly from where he was huddled in Riku's arms. "It's the least we can do for him."

"Tousen…what about Tousen?" Wonderweiss said quietly, staring at Tousen.

"Someone will take care of him," Uryu said, gently tugging the boy up. "But we had to lock this." He gently tapped the Keyhole. "But Tousen thought you would get hurt. Do you understand? We didn't want him to die."

Wonderweiss nodded, clutching Uryu's hand tightly. "Go…w-with you."

Uryu gently pulled Wonderweiss after him. Wonderweiss cast one last look at Tousen before turning around and letting himself be led further into darkness.

ARARAR

As Ichigo led the group, he found himself being led deeper and deeper into Los Noches, unable to confirm if that was a good thing or not. Suddenly, a startled gasp came from Izuru and he reeled back, refusing to move forward towards the door before them.

"Gin…Gin is there," Izuru hissed. "I can sense him."

"Good. We can take down one more of Aizen's little helpers," Ichigo said firmly.

Izuru was abnormally pale and Orihime cast him an uneasy look. Renji was clenching Izuru's wrist tightly, whispering into his ear quickly.

"Hey…calm down. You want to surpass him. Now's your chance. Once he's gone, you'll be free to love again and if you want me to be completely honest I'm looking forward to when you're ready to date again. I'm starting to fall for you Izuru and it'll never work out if you don't do this. You need to do this."

Izuru was shocked by the sudden declaration but nodded firmly. "I know. I can do this."

"Yes, you can."

"Are we ready?" Marluxia drawled.

"Shut up," Renji snapped.

Ichigo grabbed the door handle, not surprised to find it locked. With a shrug, he kicked it open, splintering the wood. What was revealed shocked them all into silence. The room was completely bright, to the point of blinding, and on the floor lay Ulquiorra, clearly unconscious and bleeding heavily from countless whip-like wounds. A chip of his bone helmet had been taken off and lay beside his face and Gin stood above him, grinning widely when they entered.

"Izuru-chan. It's been so long," Gin cooed, stepping over Ulquiorra's limp form. "Oh and by the way, Orihime-chan. 'S your fault he's like this. 'S 'cause of ya he had t' be punished."

Orihime stared at Ulquiorra in horror. Yes, she hated the man for nearly killing Ichigo but that didn't mean she wanted him whipped to death!

"He isn't dead, if that's what you're wondering. Although he will be in an hour the way he keeps bleeding. But don't mind him. I missed you Izuru," Gin said, stepping closer to the shocked group.

Marluxia was the only one unfazed. He shoved the others aside to stand in front of Gin, arms crossed.

"Like acting tough do you?" Marluxia sneered.

"Maybe I do. What's it t' ya, pretty boy?" Gin asked.

"Raise your head, Wabisuke," Izuru breathed, shoving Marluxia roughly to the side. "Gin, the only one you'll be fighting in me."

"But what if ya die?" Gin asked.

"I won't be the one dying!"

Izuru lunged, his sword only swiping thin air when Gin flash stepped away to stand behind Ulquiorra's still form. He kicked the unconscious man out of the way and Orihime rushed to his side, quickly forming a shield over him.

"Orihime! He's the enemy!" Ichigo hissed.

"No one deserves to die, no matter how horrible," she said softly.

"Aw, does that mean me to, Orihime-chan?" Gin asked innocently, knocking Izuru's blade away.

"Maybe you're the exception. You are the worst type of being alive," she said airily.

"Ya wound me," Gin snapped before back handing Izuru. "Now, now Izuru. 'S not like ya to be dominating."

Izuru's visible eye narrowed at the implications. "I hate you…so much…"

"If I recall correctly, ya loved me," Gin said, his grin widening while his eyes remained close.

Izuru lunged again, smirking when his blade managed to scrape Gin's arm. Gin stared at the wound, watching the blood bead over and fall to the ground in a thick red droplet.

"Didn't think ya had the guts to actually hurt me," Gin said quietly, a frown appearing on his face.

Izuru winced at the tone. It was so familiar. It was the tone Gin would use when they were cuddling during the rare moments they wouldn't be bothered during the day. It tore Izuru apart.

"I don't love you Gin. You've only given me pain," Izuru said coldly, raising his sword.

"Heh. Never did deserve ya, Izuru," Gin murmured.

The entire room was crackling with tension as Izuru lowered the blade, staring at Gin with an unreadable expression. To everyone's surprise, his eyes opened, the blood red iris's focusing on Izuru intensely, a broken and desolate look held within the dark depths.

"I won't hurt ya, 'Zuru," Gin said. "But…if it makes ya happy…I won't work for Aizen. I'll…leave. Make my life…elsewhere."

"Can we really trust him?" Orihime asked Ichigo softly.

Nel nodded from on top of Ichigo's head. "We can trust him. I know we can."

"That's not all I want," Izuru said quietly, completely ignoring the fact that their were other people in the room.

"What else can ya take from me 'Zuru?" Gin asked, his voice pained, his once cheerful expression gone.

"I don't want to take anything from you. I just need you to let me love again," Izuru said softly.

Gin rose his hand up to gently grip Izuru's shoulder. "Thought ya said ya didn't love me."

"I don't…but I can't bring myself to fall in love with anyone else," Izuru murmured.

Gin's hand traveled up the pale column of Izuru's throat, tracing over his jaw before slipping up to cup his cheek. He bent down, softly sealing his lips over Izuru's. No one moved, too shocked to speak at what was taking place before them.

Izuru sighed into the kiss, feeling the familiar softness of Gin's pale lips. It was good but it also felt like a release, like a slave finally breaking free from the chains that held him. Gin drew away, kissing his forehead once before speaking again.

"I can't stay now. Aizen'll have my head if he knows. See ya round, maybe, 'Zuru," Gin said.

And just like that, he was gone. Izuru fell to his knees, Wabisuke clattering to the ground beside him. Orihime let her shield die, healing Ulquiorra just enough to keep him out of life threatening danger before getting to her feet, moving to stand beside Ichigo. Renji slowly approached Izuru while Marluxia drifted towards the other three. Renji's arms slowly picked up Izuru up, cuddling the man to his chest and turning to the others.

"Should we keep going?"  
"No," Kairi's voice said. "I flash stepped all the way here. We…found the Keyhole. Tousen is…dead…we can return to the Soul Society now."

"Are you okay?" Orihime asked, hearing how choked up Kairi's voice was.

"Yeah. Fine. Just…come on."


	19. Chapter 19

**Bleach arc rewrite: Done**

Riku sighed as Sora cried out in his sleep again and gently shook the brunette. It had been two days since they had returned to the Soul Society, including Ichigo and his gang as well as Nel and Wonderweiss. And for the past two nights, Sora had had nightmares about killing Tousen.

"Riku," Sora whispered, clinging to him in the darkness of the night, not wanting to pull a way from the warmth.

"I'm right here, Sora. It's okay," Riku said soothingly, running his hand through the brown locks as he rubbed his back. "Just dreams. Don't worry. It's all in the past."

"I'm a horrible person."

"I don't think so. I just think you need to forget about it, however hard it may be. He was the enemy," Riku murmured, kissing Sora's forehead.

Sora pulled himself closer, nestling into Riku's warmth. "I'm sorry for being such a baby."

"You aren't being a baby," Riku sighed. "You're dealing with your first real kill."

"I killed Xemnas…"

"Xemnas didn't count. He wasn't human."

"Have you ever killed someone?"

"Yes…but let's not talk about that. Just…go to sleep Sora. I'm right here and I won't let anything hurt you."

"What if you get hurt protecting me though?" Sora asked softly.

"Anything to protect you because I know you would do the same for me. Probably why I love you so much. You…mean everything to me Sora."

ARARAR

Zexion couldn't sleep. At all. He was suffering from serious insomnia, not sleeping a wink ever since he had been…reborn, if that was the correct term. He wasn't sure why, either. His eye wasn't bugging him thanks to Unohana properly fixing it up and it certainly wasn't a lack of warmth seeing as how Demyx was curled up into his side, arms hugging the smaller form.

Something was bugging him, something very serious. He just wasn't sure what it was. So every night he had lain awake, staring at the ceiling as he tried to organize his jumbled thoughts. It was like all of his memories had been scrambled together until he couldn't remember when something had happened, only knowing that it did.

"Zexy…is something wrong?" Demyx asked softly as he woke up blearily.

"Nothing," Zexion lied easily.

"Liar. I can feel it. It's screwing around with my dreams."

Zexion smirked. "Sorry Dem. It's nothing important. I'll sort it out."

"You know, I couldn't remember anything when I first came back," Demyx said, the topic appearing out of nowhere. "But then I saw you and everything came flooding back. It's like…I never died. I was just sleeping. And now I have you again. And you won't leave me this time, I'll make sure of it, because I love you. I know I do. You know that, right?"

Zexion smiled, turning so he could gently kiss Demyx's lips. "Yes, I know. I love you too. You mean everything to me Demyx."

Demyx beamed at him. "But why are you unhappy?"

"I…don't know," Zexion admitted. "I haven't been sleeping. Something is bugging me and I don't know what it is."

Demyx kissed his neck. "You'll figure it out. And when you do, we can talk about it, okay?"

"Okay. Thank you Demyx."

"I don't know why you're thanking me but okay," Demyx said happily.

_If only you knew Demyx. If only you knew how your very presence made me so much happier than I was before._

ARARAR

Renji stared out the window at the moon from where he laid on his bed, trying to wrap his mind around his thoughts. So they had failed at getting rid of Aizen, Tousen was dead, have the Espadas were either dead, critically injured, or had abandoned them, and Gin was gone. And to top it all off…Izuru was avoiding him.

Almost as though summoned by his thoughts, a knock came at his door. "Renji?"

Recognizing Izuru's voice, Renji jolted up from his bed. "Come on in, Izuru."

The door opened and then clicked shut softly as Izuru glided soundlessly across the wooden floors to stand in front of Renji, looking down at the ground. Renji waited patiently for him to speak, afraid that a sudden movement would scare the man away.

"I was thinking…about what you said. And Gin. I just…wanted to say that I…wanted to give it a try. Falling in love, I mean," Izuru whispered.

Renji grinned. "You sure, Izuru? I don't want to rush you."

Izuru stepped closer, kneeling down to his level and hugging him tightly, face buried in his neck. "Fix me. Please."  
Renji gently stroked his back. "Alright. I'll fix you. I'll make better."

_Thank you…Gin…for giving me a chance to fall in love again. I hope that wherever you are, you're doing okay._

ARARAR

"Something is on your mind," Marluxia said as he moved to sit down beside Axel.

Axel was leaning up against the wall outside of the Squad 4 quarters, staring up at the night sky. He cast a quick glance at the pink haired man.

"Yeah. So?"

"Is it Roxas?"

"Yep."

"Figures. You were always obsessed with the kid," Marluxia snorted, picking a blade of grass out of the ground and twirling it around his fingers. "Didn't you say that Unohana and Mayuri are going to try and figure out how to get him out of Sora?"  
"And Namine out of Kairi," Axel added.

Marluxia sniffed. "She's a brat."

"She's ten times nicer than you can ever be," Axel snapped.

"You think I care? I don't even want to be alive right now. What's the point if there's no hopes of me ever getting my heart back?"

"Wow Marluxia. I didn't know you were capable of deeper though," Axel said, shooting him a teasing glance.

Marluxia threw the blade of grass at him, successfully tangling it in his hair. Axel brushed it out with an annoyed glare.

"I'm being serious, idiot. But I'm sure you know what I'm talking about," Marluxia said.

Axel nodded. "Similar to when Roxas…left."

"Yep. He left and with it, your reason to live. Sucks."

"It does. But now that there's a chance I can be with him again, I'm definitely going to do my best to stay alive."

"Happy for you Pyro, as much as I don't like you."

"Why don't you make waiting for Vexen your reason?" Axel asked, glancing over at him.

Marluxia looked a way. "How did you know about that?"  
"Who didn't know? Honestly," Axel sighed, shaking his head before getting to his feet. "Well, I'm going to bed. See ya 'round, plant boy."

"Likewise, Pyro."

Axel disappeared around the corner and Marluxia let his head fall back against the concrete wall with a sigh.

_Are you ever going to come back, Vexen?_

ARARAR

_**Hey Kairi?**_

___Hm?_

Kairi laid in her bed, trying to sleep but finding that it was evading her, and not just because Namine was speaking to her.

_**Well…you know how Unohana offered to figure out how to separate you and me and Sora and Roxas? **_

___Yeah…?_

_**I was thinking…Sora has to lock the Keyholes, he doesn't have time to wait for them to figure out a way. So what if you and I stay behind and let Sora and Riku keep going?**_

___But it's going to be the three of us from now on!_

_**But…Kairi…Roxas and I really want this. We want to be whole again and our own person at the same time. I understand why you don't want to do this but…think about it?**_

___I…I'll think about it. And no spying on my thoughts when I do! I know you'd do that!_

Namine giggled in her head. _**Night Kai.**_

___Night, Nami. _

ARARAR

Wonderweiss was unsure of what to think as he wandered around the courtyard in Squad 4, kicking at the stones as he walked. His mind was wrought with grief at the loss of Tousen and he couldn't fully bring himself to wrap his mind around it. One thing he knew for sure though, he didn't want to be left with all the Shinigami. They cast him dirty looks and made him feel bad, like he had before Tousen had taken him in.

He considered going with the brunette boy. He was almost certain it was the brunette's fault Tousen was gone but he seemed nice, if he looked beyond that fact. The only other person who seemed tolerant of him was the boy with blue hair. He had seemed nice.

Sighing, Wonderweiss sat down on the ground, picking several dandelions out of the ground and running his finger tip over the tops before dropping them on the ground. Sleep was eluding him, like most days. The only time he could ever recall getting any sleep was when he was curled up in Tousen's arms after getting a kiss on the forehead as a goodnight.

It made him sad, knowing there was no one for him to curl up against anymore. Maybe he was being punished for letting Tousen die. Yes, that was it. He was being punished for being bad. Maybe he was doomed to forever be alone as punishment. He knew he deserved it. Well, at least he thought he did. But then again, he would probably never know.

ARARAR

The next morning dawned bright and early. Sora, Riku, Kairi, Axel, Marluxia, Zexion, Demyx, Nel, Ichigo, and Wonderweiss were all gathered in Yamamoto's office before his desk where he was looking them all over.

"So…you've had two days to rest up and think. Now, inform me of your plans."

"Marluxia is staying here to recover properly," Sora started. He had discussed it with Marluxia earlier. "The rest of us are going to continue."

"Um…actually no," Kairi started. "You seem to have forgotten about Roxas and Namine. One of us has to stay behind for Unohana and Mayuri to figure out how to separate us. So I'm going to stay behind. You have to keep going."

"But Kairi-"

"I've made my decision Sora. Don't argue," Kairi ordered firmly, determination shining in her blue eyes.

Yamamoto nodded. "And what of the two Hollows?"

"Nel will stay with me, in Kakura Town. I can assure you that she is absolutely safe and no threat at all to the Soul Society," Ichigo stated.

"I believe you. And him?"

Everyone turned to look at Wonderweiss. Wonderweiss shifted under their gazes and then looked up, swallowing audibly.

"G-go with h-him," he mumbled, pointing at Sora.

Sora's eyes widened. "You want to go with me? Why?"

"Y-you don't l-look at m-me like the o-others," Wonderweiss said quietly, not looking up at them.

"Are you okay with this Sora?" Riku asked quietly, rubbing the small of Sora's back.

"I…I guess," Sora answered. "Just a bit surprised."

Demyx smiled brightly at Wonderweiss and held his hand out. "We'll take good care of you."

Wonderweiss smiled back shakily and then placed his hand in Demyx's allowing himself to be pressed into the older man's side. Wonderweiss snuggled into the warmth. It reminded him of Tousen.

"So…I guess this is good bye then," Sora said awkwardly as he turned to Ichigo.

Ichigo held out his hand to shake. "It's been fun…I guess," Ichigo said.

Sora shook his hand. "Maybe we'll see you again."

Riku and Sora then turned to Kairi. "Don't do anything stupid, don't die, don't-"

Kairi cut Sora off. "Calm down. I can take care of myself. Now go and save the universe."

"Yes ma'am!"


	20. Chapter 20

"So Hollow Bastion then," Sora said as they drifted through empty space, thankful there were no Heartless ships assaulting them yet. He had finally relinquished his control of the Gummi Ship and let Riku drive for once.

"Why there?" Demyx asked.

"We're low on potions…and ethers…and just about everything else," Riku said. "Which isn't a good position to be in."

"Oh, right," Demyx muttered.

Zexion was sitting on his right, lightly running his hand through the blond hair of Wonderweiss who was sleeping peacefully with his head on Demyx's lap, curled up on the small bench the four of them were crammed on. Axel's eyes drifted over to the three of them. Honestly, if it weren't for the fact that they were Nobodies, he would've thought Wonderweiss as their child or something.

"Is something wrong, Axel?" Sora asked, twisting in his seat to look at the red head.

Axel looked up. "No. Why do you ask?"

Sora shrugged. "Roxas said you seem unhappy. I hope you know how creepy it is how he's tuned in with how you're feeling."

Axel smirked. "Roxas is like God in that respect. He always knows what just about anyone is feeling. That doesn't mean just me."  
_**He's right you know,**_Roxas said. _**It's been like that with everyone in the Organization…just them though. And you. But that's for obvious reasons. **_

__"Alright. We're here. Head for Merlin's?"

Sora nodded. "Leon and everyone else will probably be there. And in all honesty, I wouldn't mind some of Aerith's cooking."

RSRSRS

"So you guys are on yet another save the universe mission, huh?" Aerith sighed, placing a plate of cookies in the center of the round table the group had sat down around.

"Yep," Sora replied, grabbing a cookie and biting right into it.

"How's it coming?" Leon asked, moving from where he was leaning up against the wall to come stand beside Aerith.

"F-fine," Sora stumbled, thinking about Tousen before quickly shoving the thought out of his mind.

"And how did you come across him?" Aerith asked, walking over to where Wonderweiss was sitting in front of the window, staring out it with a blank look.

"I uh…killed his caretaker," Sora mumbled, looking down. "He was the Keyhole, in case you didn't notice."

Leon frowned. "Hey…don't look like that. It had to happen sometime. You can't get through life never killing anyone."

Sora nodded meekly. "I know."

Aerith's sudden giggle attracted their attention and they turned to see Wonderweiss handing her a yellow dandelion that he had picked earlier outside. Aerith smiled, thanking him as she took it from him. Wonderweiss beamed happily before turning back to stare out the window.

"He's sweet," she said, setting the dandelion down on the table. "I'm glad you took him in."

"You should've seen Demyx and Zexion," Axel snickered. "They're like parents taking care of a kid.

Both Zexion and Demyx blushed, drawing a light laugh from Aerith and a smirk from Leon.

"So…has Cloud turned back up yet?" Sora asked, reaching for another cookie.

Aerith's expression saddened as did Leon's. "No. He's still gone."

"And Tifa?"

"Still searching," Leon answered quietly.

"But we've started to explore a new area," Aerith said, quickly changing the subject. "We were exploring the lower areas of Hollow Bastion and we discovered a maze of water tunnels. Yuffie and Cid are exploring them now, if you want to go find them."

Sora nodded enthusiastically. "That sounds fun. But…we mainly came here to stock up on supplies. We used up all of our potions and ethers on the first two worlds."

"Hey…didn't you guys say Kairi was going to travel with you guys once you got back to the islands?" Leon asked.

"She stayed behind at the last world. They think they can find a way to remove Namine without causing Kairi any harm…we were originally going to use me but I had to keep going," Sora explained. "We came across the idea of separating because well…Axel showed up…and then Demyx and Zexion…and Marluxia."

"Speaking of which!" Demyx interrupted. "I need hair gel. Really. My hair is so boring like this!"

He ran a hand through straight dirty brown locks in disgust. Zexion rolled his eye and Axel snorted.

"Screw saving the worlds, Demyx needs hair gel," Axel joked.

"It's important!" Demyx cried.

Leon shook his head in amusement. "You can find some in the mart along with potions. I'm going to go check for Heartless activity."

"Can I come?" Axel asked. "I honestly don't want to follow Demyx around while he shops and water tunnels means water-"

"No duh," Zexion sighed.

"Shut up you. And I don't like water."

"Wonderweiss! You're coming with us!" Demyx called, waving the boy over.

Wonderweiss moved a way from the window and then walked over to Demyx, arms wrapping around Demyx's left arm.

"Here's some munny," Riku said, tossing a bag at Zexion. "Don't buy a lot of hair gel, please. Potions are more important."

Demyx stuck his tongue out before they disappeared out the door.

Leon nodded at Axel and the two left soundlessly. When they were gone, Aerith turned to Riku and Sora.

"Be careful down there. There's still Heartless in the castle and I don't know what's in the tunnels," she said.

"Don't worry about it. We'll be fine," Riku assured her.

RSRSRS

"So you guys are still alive, huh?" Leon asked as they slowly made their way towards the old battlefield from just several months ago.

"Somehow. I wonder if the others are going to be coming back. In all honesty, I hope Larxene stays dead…same with Xemnas and his dog. Pretty much everyone else, I could care less if they came back. Except for maybe Vexen…he's a little crazy."

"Ever wonder if maybe it's the crazy people who are right?" Leon asked.

"What are you talking about?"

"I mean…they just go about everything in a way that's different but maybe…the way they do things is easier than what's 'normal'. I don't know what I'm talking about. Just forget it," Leon sighed.

"You are so stressed out," Axel snickered. "Seriously. It's radiating off of you."

"Well my lover just up and disappeared to fight his arch enemy in a death match and neither have showed up for seven months. Yes, I'm just a little stressed," Leon snapped before abruptly shutting his mouth.

"You and blondie, huh?"

"I could say the same thing. Sora says you're in love with his Nobody," Leon countered.

"And? Maybe you should loosen up a bit, Leon. At least I'm open about the fact that I'm in love with someone, even if he is a guy. If you're worried about people shunning you, don't," Axel said. "There's no point in caring what others think about you. I thought you would know that."

Leon sighed. "I hate it when other people are right."

"I can't help the fact that I'm smarter than everyone else in the universe," Axel said dramatically. "The woes of being so smart. Everyone turns to you for the answer to their problems and-"

"I would say don't let it go to your head but it's too late," Leon grumbled.

Axel laughed. "Just joking, Leon. Learn to be less serious. Then maybe you can teach blondie something when he comes back."

RSRSRS

Riku stared at the entrance to the castle, unable to actually walk inside. Sora looped his arm around Riku's waist comfortingly, knowing exactly why the usually calm and collected Riku was now scared out of his wits of taking the ten steps needed to enter the castle.

"I can't smell the darkness at all but I just…can't bring myself to walk inside," Riku said quietly.

Sora just slipped his hand down to entwined with Riku's, squeezing it reassuringly. "Just take your time. I understand."

_God dammit Riku! There's nothing in there! No darkness! No Heartless! No Maleficent! Nothing! Just walk inside!_

He headed forward, Sora right next to him as they walked in, letting the light from outside disappear and walking through twisting hallways lit by artificial light. Sora headed for the computer room, walking through the door on the other side and then down the many flights of stairs to the lower level. It was easy to see how they had discovered the underwater tunnels. A hole was punched in the floor, slow moving water being the only thing visible, though it was impossible to see how deep it was.

"Stitch, go check it out," Sora ordered as he summoned the little blue alien.

Stitch made an unintelligible sound and jumped through the hole, landing with a small splash in the water and standing up easily. Sora jumped down after him, putting him back into the charm as Riku landed right beside him. After a quick glance around, Sora recognized where they were.

"Riku…this is where Beast and I were for awhile. We had to take care of all these weird traps. There were all these old iron gates, like that," Sora said, pointing to one behind him.

He knelt down in the water; hands searching for a switch he knew would be around somewhere near. When he found it, he shoved his hands down on it, forcing the iron gate to roll into the rock wall. Seconds later they heard Yuffie shriek from further down the tunnel.

"Whoops," Sora said sheepishly. "I forgot. For every door opened, a door is shut. Come on, let's go find them. We probably locked them in."

"You mean you. I did nothing. But let's go," Riku sighed.

He trudged after Sora, surprised at how well Sora knew the tunnels and feeling a slight pang of guilt. The time Sora was referring to was back when he had taken the Keyblade from Sora as well as his friends. He didn't want to think about how betrayed Sora had probably felt.

"Sora I am going to hurt you!" Yuffie shouted angrily from where she and Cid were trapped on all four sides by either an iron gate or a rock wall.

"Shut yer trap woman. He'll get us out," Cid growled.

"Sorry about that," Sora said sheepishly. "You're lucky I memorized all these gates from last time."

"Last time?" Yuffie asked, tilting her head to the side and allowing her black bangs to move out of her eyes.

"The first time I came to Hollow Bastion. Beast and I got trapped down here and it took forever to get back out," Sora told them, stomping his foot on a switch.

Riku watched as one of the iron gates slid back to allow the pair out. "So how long have you two been down here?"

"Since early this morning. Cid has no idea what he's doing," Yuffie sighed.

"What're you talkin' about?" Cid growled. "I know better than you!"

"Ignore him," Yuffie ordered. "So, could you give us a tour if you remember so well?"

Sora shrugged. "I guess."

RSRSRS

Zexion swung the bag over his shoulder, satisfied with all that they had bought. A good ten potions for each of them and at least two ethers for each. He suspected it would be enough for at least the next world.

"We have to go back so I can restyle my hair," Demyx said as they walked back towards Merlin's.

"Of course, Dem," Zexion sighed, rolling his eye.

"Q-question," Wonderweiss mumbled.

"What is it?" Demyx asked.

"T-teach me to t-talk b-better?" Wonderweiss asked, staring up at him.

Demyx smiled and nodded. "Sure. We'll work on it later, okay?"

Wonderweiss nodded as they entered the house. Aerith quickly grabbed the back and set it on the table.

"Were you successful?" she asked as Demyx quickly pulled out a tube of hair gel, climbing the steps and heading into the bathroom without replying.

"Obviously, yes," Zexion said, nodding in the direction Demyx had taken off in. "Can you watch Wonderweiss for a bit?"

"You want to be with Demyx, don't you? I can tell you're in love," Aerith told him, winking.

Zexion just flushed, climbing up the stairs and knocking on the bathroom door. Demyx opened it, shutting it after Zexion came in. He jumped up onto the counter as Demyx began styling his hair.

"What's up Zexy?"

"Something's been bugging me…again…" Zexion admitted.

"Something else or the same thing as before?" Demyx asked.

Zexion stared at his hands. "Same thing. I just don't know what it is. Something seems really off."

Demyx stopped moving, staring at his reflection as he thought. "Something is off? I think I know what you're talking about it. I feel that too."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Zexion asked as Demyx resumed fixing his hair.

"Didn't want to burden you with my problems but it seems we're having the same one," Demyx said with a shrug. "I hate causing people problems, you more than anyone else." He finished then, washing his hands and wiping them off on the towel. "What do you think?"

Zexion looked up, taking in his appearance. He looked just like he had when he was in the Organization, a few strands of hair drifting into his blue eyes. Zexion jumped off the counter and wrapped his arms around Demyx tightly, burying his face in his chest.

"I've missed you so much," he whispered, breathing in the scent that was just Demyx.

Demyx hugged him closer before pulling away so he could lean down and capture Zexion's lips. He didn't know why but for some reason, he started crying. Tears leaked out of his good eye and he pressed closer to Demyx, almost as if he could never get close enough. Demyx wiped the tears away as they came, gently massaging Zexion's lips as he did so. He pulled back an inch to speak.

"Don't cry Zexy. I'm here now."

He sealed his lips against Zexion's lips again, turning so he could pin Zexion to the door before leaving his lips to kiss his jaw line and then slowly tracked down his neck, planting butterfly kisses over every inch as more tears ran down Zexion's face.

"I don't…even know why…I'm crying," Zexion gasped out in between suppressed sobs.

"Sometimes people just need to cry," Demyx said quietly, straightening and hugging Zexion tightly again. "So go ahead."

RSRSRS

"So that's pretty much it," Sora informed them as they made their way out of the tunnels.

Sora slashed at the small gem with his Keyblade and the platform from above descended and he ushered them all onto it. As the platform rose, Riku lost himself in thought. This place held so many bad memories for him and he really didn't feel like going through the castle again. But it seemed Sora was eager to explore the parts that hadn't been properly fixed up yet…the parts that their battles had taken place…the parts where Kairi had been held.

"Are those waterfalls…rising?" Yuffie gaped as they stepped out onto the balcony like area.

"Yep!" Sora said cheerfully.

"Yuffie…I think we should head back. I'm gonna forget everything Sora taught us if we don't," Cid told her.

"Aw, fine. See you two later!" Yuffie called as she and Cid descended back down into the water tunnels.

"Why do you even want to be here?" Riku asked quietly after they had disappeared.

"What do you mean?" Sora asked.

"There are so many bad memories for us here," Riku said, staring at the ground, fists clenched at his side. "I hurt you. I fought you. I tried to kill you!"

Sora's gaze softened and he came to stand in front of Riku, gently hugging him. "I forgave you long ago Riku. I was never mad at you in the first place."

"You…are way to perfect for your own good," Riku said, arms moving to Sora's waist.

"I'm not perfect," Sora mumbled into his shoulder. "I killed someone…just because of the Keyhole. I made that kid cry…I killed his caretaker. I'm definitely not perfect."

"But Sora…everyone has to kill…at some point. It's inevitable."

"I want to make a world…where no one has to hurt anyone else," Sora said softly, nuzzling Riku's chest. "I want to fix everything. I don't want to hurt anyone anymore."

Riku clutched Sora tighter to him as unbidden tears began falling down his face and landing on Sora's shoulders. "I wish I could be like you. I wish I could have the power to make things better like you do."

"Riku…"

Sora rubbed Riku's back comfortingly as the older teen shuddered against him, hot wet tears hitting his collarbone and rolling down his skin. It scared him to see Riku break down this. It reminded him that even the strongest people in the world needed to cry sometimes which also reminded him that everyone was human, even the bad guys.

"Ever wonder," Sora started. "That maybe the bad guys…thought they were doing the right thing? What if to them, they were doing the right thing? What if to them, we were doing the wrong thing? Like…the Organization. All they wanted were their hearts. They wanted to feel again. And we took that a way from them."

Riku raised a hand to his face to wipe the tears away, drawing back enough to look Sora in the eyes. "I try not to think like that. It makes it harder to fight them. I just have to tell myself that they aren't human."

Sora didn't say anything, chewing at his lower lip. "Can we…walk around Hollow Bastion…just once?"

Riku nodded. "Okay."

RSRSRS

Wonderweiss watched curiously as Yuffie and Cid trudged into the room. He smiled when he saw Yuffie. He could feel a pleasant aura coming off her that reminded him of sweets, like Aerith's cookies. The older man, Cid, just seemed plain and kind of boring, like listening to Aizen talk.

"Who's the kid?" Cid asked gruffly, sitting down in one of the wooden chairs.

"He's a friend of Sora's. He's really sweet," Aerith answered.

"HE'S ADORABLE!" Yuffie cried, rushing towards him and hugging him tightly. "He's like a big teddy bear!"

Wonderweiss made a startled sound at the sudden touch, struggling against her and deciding that maybe he didn't like her that much. She released him, still beaming.

"Sorry. I couldn't help myself," she apologized, ruffling his hair.

Wonderweiss smiled uneasily, his opinion on the woman shifting once again. Yuffie bounced back over to the table to sit down beside Cid.

"We ran into Sora and Riku. Sora already knew how to navigate the water tunnels. He says he was there before," Yuffie told her.

"That makes sense. If it was a part of Hollow Bastion before, he probably ended up down there for some reason or another. This was where Riku ended up so he was probably searching everywhere for him," Aerith said. "Then again, that's just me guessing."

"But his memory is amazin'. He remembered every single detail," Cid told them.

"D-Demyx," Wonderweiss suddenly said, turning towards the stairs.

"Stay down here Wonderweiss," Aerith told him quietly.

Wonderweiss frowned and then nodded, still staring up the stair case. "Z-Zexion. Unhappy."  
Aerith frowned while Cid and Yuffie looked at him curiously. "What do you mean Wonderweiss?"

"Zexion i-is u-unhappy," Wonderweiss said firmly. "F-feel it."

"I think he has empathy powers…he can feel our emotions," Aerith said quietly. "Wonderweiss. How am I feeling?"

Wonderweiss chewed, obviously thinking hard. "Curious."

Aerith nodded and turned to the others. "I think I'm right."

"Well that's interestin'."

RSRSRS

Riku opened the huge doors and the pair stepped into the main hall, staring before them. Sora slipped his hand into Riku's as he slowly took the familiar room in.

"This is where we fought for the first time," Sora said quietly.

"I'm sorry," Riku whispered.

"I've already forgiven you, Riku. What you did in the past doesn't count now. At least, not the bad things," Sora told him, smiling up at him.

Riku leaned down to kiss him gently. "You're too nice sometimes."

Sora didn't respond, instead tugging on his hand and leading him to the right stair case and slowly climbed the stairs. Riku shuddered when they reached the top floor.

"Heartless. I can feel them. I don't know where they are," he whispered in a strained voice.

"Don't worry. They won't take you over. I won't let them come near you," Sora told him, whirling around and stabbing several Shadows the second they appeared before turning to smile at Riku. "See?"

Riku shook his head, smiling lightly as Sora began leading him towards the library, shutting the door behind him.

"We're safe in here. There are never any Heartless in here."

"Sora?"

Sora turned around. "What?"

Riku leaned forward, kissing his lips again. Sora blinked, shocked at how needy the kiss was before letting his eyes slide shut and pressing back, arms sliding up to entwine around Riku's neck. He didn't know what brought on the sudden neediness from Riku but he could feel the same thing in his chest, almost like a pulsing and steady pain. In all honesty, he had no clue where the passion was coming from. It was like they had both held it in for as long as they could and now it was breaking free, spilling over in rushing waves as they tasted each other, hands running over the other's body as if trying to memorize it without even seeing the skin.

"R-Riku," Sora murmured, tilting his head back as Riku placed his lips on his neck, biting his collarbone and sucking the tender flesh into his mouth. As he did this, he turned them around so he could pin Sora to the wall.

"I love you Sora. I never ever want to hurt you again," he whispered in between kisses and bites along the tan neck. "You are so beautiful, so perfect. I want you all to myself. I never want to share you. I never want to leave you."

Sora whimpered at his words, hands twisting in Riku's hair as Riku worked a knee in between his legs. "Riku…I love you…so much. Please don't leave me."

"Never. You're mine. Only mine."

As he spoke he bit harshly onto Sora's neck, drawing several small drops of blood and making Sora cry out, panting as he moved against Riku's knee. Riku lapped up the red liquid before moving to the other side of Sora's neck, lavishing kisses and nips there as well.

"Riku," Sora whimpered, eyes shut tight as a tiny moan escaped him.

Riku reveled in how he was able to make Sora go insane with pleasure without even doing anything more than what he was now. He could tell how much pleasure Sora was in by the hardness he was now massaging with his knee and finally slipped a hand down to fondle him, drawing more moans and pants from Sora. Sora groaned once more before Riku covered his lips, tongues battling furiously.

Sora had never felt such immense pleasure in his life. The feel of the warm hand cupping him coupled with the intense kiss Riku had him in had his head dizzy from an overload on his senses. Riku pulled away again, kissing along his neck. This left Sora free to pant out his name like a mantra, the name falling from his lips repeatedly before his mind went white and he collapsed against the wall, panting harshly.

Riku slid his hand up to entwine around Sora's waist, hugging him close. Sora whimpered into his shoulder, arms still tangled in his hair.

"I'm really embarrassed right now," Sora admitted.

"Don't worry about it. I made you come. Not your fault."

"What do we do about my pants?" Sora asked awkwardly.

"We'll wash them in a sink or something. But for now, just let me hold you."

"Okay…Riku."


	21. Chapter 21

Zexion and Demyx eventually descended the stairs after making sure Zexion could hold himself together. Demyx was right, it did feel good to cry for once. Wonderweiss ran over to them, hugging them both tightly when he saw them.

"U-unhappy Zexion," he said, looking up at him with violet eyes. "H-happy now?"

Zexion nodded, eye narrowed.

"He can feel our emotions it seems," Aerith told him. "It's rather interesting. He said you were unhappy."

Zexion flushed. "I'm fine now. Really."

Wonderweiss nodded. "Y-yes."

"So Axel isn't back yet?" Demyx asked.

"Nope. He will be soon though," Aerith told them as the came to sit down.

"Where are Sora and Riku?" Zexion asked, letting Wonderweiss climb up onto his lap.

"Still at the castle," Yuffie answered. "They seemed a little off. Don't know why though."

"They tried to kill each other there," Aerith said. "Of course they'd feel awkward."

"So many things happened to them," Cid said. "It's a wonder they're still friends."

"They have a strong bond," Aerith said, smiling gently. "I don't think anything can tear them apart."

RSRSRS

"Much better," Sora sighed, slipping into his now dry pants. They had found a sink in a room connected to the library thankfully. "So uh…what brought that on, Riku?"

Riku shook his head. "I don't know. I just…it was like I needed to make sure you were real, you know?"

Sora nodded. "I understand. I felt it too. I wasn't sure what it was at the time but…it was like that."

Riku stepped closer to him, once again wrapping his arms around Sora's small frame. "Do you have any idea how addicting you are?"

Sora flushed bright red. "Um…no…I don't know what you see in me, honestly. I'm a klutz most of the time."

"Do we need a repeat of what just happened to convince you?" Riku asked huskily.

Sora flushed even deeper at the words. "As much as I want to…let's not. I still feel…"

"Light. Really light," Riku finished.

"I feel like if I go through that again right now I'll die," Sora admitted. "But I don't mind cuddling."

"Let's move somewhere more comfortable then," Riku said, grabbing his hand and leading him back into the library, quickly navigating a couch and laying down, tugging Sora down on top of him. "I need a nap."

Sora nodded into his chest. "Me too."

Before long, they were both sleeping soundly, resting in the comfort of one another's arms.

RSRSRS

"No Heartless activity at all," Leon mused as they reached the cliff side right before the other castle. "We're lucky. I'm heading back though. You coming?"

Axel shook his head, sitting down and letting his legs dangle over the edge. "I'll follow in a couple minutes. Just need some peace and quiet."

Leon nodded in understanding. "I'll leave you to it then."  
Leon's footsteps faded away but Axel didn't move from where he sat, staring down at the ground far below him. It was weird, being the only one alone in the group. Sora had Riku, Zexion had Demyx, and Wonderweiss was perfectly content following the two of them around. Which left him alone to wish for Roxas to be with him again. In all honesty, it made him mad to think that everyone else was happy and he was stuck alone wishing for something that might never happen.

"God Roxas…I love you," he whispered. But no one heard him.

RSRSRS

"Kairi, one of your friends has showed up again," Unohana told her.

Kairi was still recovering from when Unohana had entered her mind just over a half hour ago.

"Really?" she asked sleepily.

"Hanataro is bringing him right now," Unohana told her with a nod.

Kairi quickly went through all the Organization members that Sora and Riku had told her about, as well as the ones she had met. Xemnas, Vexen, Lexaeus, Saix, Luxord, Xigbar, and Xaldin were the only possibilities if they were male.

_**I hope it isn't Saix. **_

___It better not be. Or Xemnas for that matter. _

"Unohana Taicho! I've brought him!" a voice called outside the room they were in.

Kairi sat up from the table she had previously been laying on, anxious to see who it was.

"Bring him in, Hanataro," Unohana ordered.

The door clicked open and Hanataro stepped through, leading a tall man in after him. An eye patch covered his right eye and scars marred a thin and angular face. Black hair streaked with silver was pulled back in a high ponytail and the visible eye widened when it saw her.

"You're Sora's squeeze," he said.

"What? I am not!" Kairi protested, flushing. "You're Xigbar."

"Why yes I am. And how the hell I got here I have no idea," he told her, shutting the door behind him with his foot. Hanataro winced when it slammed shut. "I have no idea where the hell this is either."

"It's the Soul Society," Unohana answered. "Now, I take it you have all of your memories in tact?"

"Obviously."

"Any burning sensations?" Unohana asked, remembering what had happened to Zexion.

"Nope, not a one."

"May I check your heartbeat?"

"Shorty already did. I've got one. Which is weird but now I finally have emotions so I don't care," Xigbar said with a shrug.

"There's something I don't understand," Kairi spoke up. "If you guys don't have emotions then how are Demyx and Zexion in love?"

"Echoes of emotions babe. Nothing more, nothing less," Xigbar answered. "Wait…how did you know about Dem and Zexion?"

"They showed up too," Unohana answered. "Marluxia and Axel are here as well."

"You've got to be shitting me. That's just weird. And here I thought we would never come back," Xigbar sighed. "Not that I'm complaining or anything. Just as long as Luxord shows back up. I want a gambling buddy and I know Luxord would be more than willing."

"If everyone keeps appearing," Kairi said softly. "Does that mean everyone will?"

"It's a strong possibility," Unohana told her with a nod.

"No! What if Saix or Xemnas shows up next? Or Xaldin? Or-"

"Cool it babe. If that happens, Marluxia and I will wipe the floor with them and send them straight back to where they came from," Xigbar told her, waving his hand dismissively. "So where can I find Marly?"

"Squad 11 barracks. Hanataro, you can show him around," Unohana ordered. After the two had left, Unohana turned back to Kairi. "Feeling better? You were a little woozy when you woke up."

"I feel a lot better actually. So what do you think?"  
"It should be quite easy to extract her soul from yours. I'll need Mayuri-san's help of course, but we can try whenever you feel ready."

Kairi's eyes widened. "That quick? Sora is going to be so happy!"

_**This is fantastic!**_Namine cried in her mind. _**I'll finally be able to walk around on my own again. **_

___And Roxas and Axel can be together!_

Unohana smiled. "It might take a little longer than that. We'll have to create Gigais of both Namine and Roxas seeing as how their real bodies are no longer available. Gigais are just bodies without souls but they are created from scratch. If you could get us pictures or at least a drawing of them we should be able to get them perfectly."

"I think I can get a photo of Roxas but Namine will have to draw herself," Kairi said, eyes bright with excitement. "I'll have to leave for a bit though. I think Marluxia or Xigbar should be able to transport me to Twilight Town. I can find things there."

Unohana nodded. "Alright. Let me know when you're ready."

RSRSRS

Sora woke up, eyes adjusting to the now dark library. He turned in Riku's arms to glance out the window, seeing that night was beginning to fall.

"Riku. Wake up," Sora said, shaking him gently.

Riku blinked sleepily, opening aquamarine eyes to stare at Sora. "What is it?"

"It's almost night. We should head back, unless you want to head back through the tunnels in the dark?"

"I'd rather not. Let's go."

Sora started to get up only to abruptly be pulled down again, a quick kiss being pressed to his lips. Riku smirked at his blush and then stood up, pulling Sora up after him.

"Have I mentioned I love you?" Riku asked.

"Yes. You are in a really good mood now. I'm glad," Sora said happily, hugging him once tightly. "There's one more place I want to visit before we go, if you don't mind."

"Sure."

"I want to go to the Rising Falls. I think it'd be pretty right now."

"Okay. If you want to."

The pair headed out into the main hall, thankful that none of the Heartless popped up this time. Once they stepped outside, a cold wind buffeted them, making them both shiver before heading for the platform that would take them out to the Rising Falls. As they traveled, Riku gazed around them.

He had never realized how beautiful the surrounding area around them. A thin sheet of ice covered the vast ocean, the Rising Falls feeding the water beneath it. When he looked closely, he could see the water moving deeper under the ice as well as several huge fish.

"If the ice ever thaws I'd love to go swimming in there," Sora said, observing the water as the platform carried them closer and closer.

"You have no idea what's in there Sora. For all we know, there's a huge man eating shark or some other weird fish thing. Who knows how deep this water even goes," Riku told him.

"I'm just saying! I think it would be fun traveling through the unknown!" Sora cried. "It's like when we're traveling to new worlds. You never know what you'll find there."

The platform slid to a stop and they stepped off of it, glancing around at the tops of the falls. The sun was glinting off the top of them creating small rainbows all around the edge of the deep cavity of water. Sora beamed at Riku.

"Told you it'd be pretty."

Riku leaned forward to capture his lips again, taking in the sweet taste of Sora with a light flick of his tongue before pulling back, wrapping the smaller one in his arms and resting his cheek on the mass of brown hair.

"You were right. As always," Riku murmured.

Sora smiled into his shoulder. "Love you Riku."

"Love you too."

RSRSRS

"We were wondering when you guys would come back," Yuffie cried as Riku and Sora trudged into the house.

"We already had dinner so you guys get leftovers," Demyx teased. "The microwave is in the other room."

"Where's Axel?" Sora asked, glancing around the room.

"He's upstairs in the room he's sharing with Wonderweiss. Wonderweiss is with him," Leon answered, standing up from the table. "I'm going to do one more round before I go to bed."

He exited the house and Riku and Sora sat down. Cid was at the computer, typing furiously while Aerith quickly went to heat up the food she had made.

"So what were you two doing?" Demyx asked with a wink.

"Let me put it this way. I never knew Sora could scream that loud," Riku told him nonchalantly.

Demyx stared at them, scandalized by Riku's words.

"I grabbed his shoulders when we were in the tunnels when he wasn't paying attention," Riku finished.

Both Sora and Riku burst into laughter when Demyx scowled at them angrily. "And here I thought you two had finally grown up and done the dirty," Yuffie sighed.

"What are you guys talking about?" Aerith asked as she entered the room again, setting plates of steaming spaghetti in front of Sora and Riku.

"Sora's a screamer," Riku told her, slipping a forkful of food into his mouth.

Yuffie giggled at Aerith's stunned expression as she tried to think of a somewhat polite response.

"They're jokin' Aerith," Cid called over his shoulder.

Aerith sighed. "You guys are very immature sometimes."

RSRSRS

"Hey Marluxia, Xigbar," Kairi called as she stepped into the Squad 11 dojo.

"Shut up. We're in the middle of something," Marluxia ordered, slashing at Yumichika again as Xigbar fired his bullets of light at Ikkaku.

"I need someone to take me to Twilight Town," Kairi continued, ignoring Marluxia.

"Sure I'll take you there," Xigbar said, turning to face her.

"Don't leave yourself open!" Ikkaku shouted, rushing towards Xigbar's turned back.

Xigbar sighed, whirling around and slamming his fist right into Ikkaku's face, sending him sprawling with a bleeding nose. He shook his hand out.

"You got a hard head."

"Baldy down!" Yachiru shouted. "Can I kick him Kenny?"  
"Do whatever Yachiru," Kenpachi said, waving his hand dismissively from where he sat.

The pink haired girl raced over to Ikkaku, whipping her foot into Ikkaku's shin. "Don't fall down again!" she ordered.

Ikkaku groaned, his pride severely wounded. First he was taken down by an old guy and then kicked by a little girl. What next?

Kairi giggled. "Thanks Xigbar."

RSRSRS

"S-still u-unhappy," Wonderweiss said, poking Axel's side.

Axel kept his face in the pillow, hoping if he ignored the kid long enough he would go away.

"W-why?" Wonderweiss asked.

Axel turned to look at him finally, staring into concerned violet eyes. The kid was so childish. "My best friend is gone. Understand."

Wonderweiss didn't respond and Axel put his face back in the pillow, resisting the urge to scream.

"M-mine…t-t-too," Wonderweiss mumbled. Axel's head flew up when Wonderweiss climbed into the bed next to him, cuddling into his side like a kitten. "N-new b-best friend."

Axel couldn't bring himself to shove the kid away, instead just sighing and lying his head back down, hoping he could find sleep.

RSRSRS

"You're okay!" Olette shouted as Xigbar and Kairi appeared through a dark portal right into the Usual Spot.

Kairi laughed as Olette tackled her in a hug, turning to face Hayner and Pence. Hayner smirked and Pence waved.

"Okay, can we hurry this up?" Xigbar drawled. "I need to get back."

"Sorry guys. I need to get to the mansion so um…I'll visit again when I can, okay?" Kairi told them, hugging Olette back before breaking away.

"Sure. It's just good to know you're okay," Pence said. "We were worried about what happened to you after that man appeared."

"Is he gone?" Hayner asked, cracking his knuckles.

"We're friends actually," Kairi said. "But seriously. I have to go. I'll see you guys again some time!"

She waved as she ran out of the small area, Xigbar trailing after her.

"So that was back when Axel kidnapped you, huh?" Xigbar asked.

"Um, yeah."

"You ever going to explain to me why we're here?"

"Well you know about the other fake Twilight Town connected to this one, right?"

"Duh."

"Well, I'm almost sure I can find pictures of Roxas there," Kairi told him.

"And you need pictures of Roxy why?"

"Um, Unohana thinks she can create a body for Namine and Roxas and then extract their souls from us and put them in the new bodies," Kairi explained. "I don't really get it myself but-"

"Makes sense. So we have to get to the fake Twilight Town then? You should know I can't use my powers to get in there. Ansem screwed it up so none of us _should_ be able to get in. How Axel did, I will never know."

"I know. But there's a portal in the mansion that will take us to the fake one. I know what I'm doing," Kairi assured him.

"If you say so."


	22. Chapter 22

Kairi walked down the steps and into the secret lab beneath the floor.

"Someone had too much time on their hands," Xigbar said.

"DiZ, obviously," Kairi sighed, walking over to the portal. "Step in. I'll follow right behind you."

"Eh, whatever."

Xigbar stepped beneath the blue light, suddenly vanishing from sight before Kairi stepped in right after, closing her eyes when she felt the space around her disappear and suddenly reappear. She opened her eyes then, seeing Xigbar staring at the destroyed computer in the new room.

"Someone was mad," he mused.

"I guess so. Well come on."

RSRSRS

"How long are you going to sit in there and mope?" Zexion asked, leaning against Axel's door.

When he didn't get a response, he opened the door, smiling softly when he saw Wonderweiss fast asleep curled into Axel's side. Axel himself was dead asleep and Zexion quickly shut the door again, moving down to where he shared a room with Demyx.

"How's Axel?" Demyx asked.

"Sleeping. I think Wonderweiss did something to cheer him up," Zexion told him as he slipped into the bed beside Demyx.

Demyx cuddled into his side. "Really? Like what?"

"I don't know."

"Are you still unhappy?" he asked quietly, nuzzling Zexion's neck.

"No. I don't even know why I was crying, to be honest. It's like you said, I just need to," Zexion said softly.

Demyx continued to nuzzle him, drawing circles on his chest idly with one hand. Zexion let his eye slide close as he gave into the comforting actions of Demyx's hand. He grabbed Demyx's wrist when it began to slip lower, bringing it up to his palm and kissing it gently.

"Nothing like that right now, Dem," Zexion murmured against his palm.

Demyx nodded into his neck, kissing it gently. "I know. Sorry."

Zexion released the hand and Demyx went back to drawing on his chest, his breath slowly evening out and his hand stopping its movement all together, instead just resting on it. Zexion let his eye slip close and sleep take him.

RSRSRS

"I'll have Mayuri get right on these," Unohana told her.

Kairi had successfully found a picture of Roxas in the fake Twilight Town and Namine had done a quick sketch of herself through Kairi's body.

"You have no idea how thankful I am for all that you're doing," Kairi said. "Really, thank you."

"It's my pleasure. Now go get some rest. We'll be ready to start tomorrow morning. Can you notify Sora and tell him to drop by?"  
"I think I could get Marluxia or Xigbar to do it. Thank you, again," Kairi said happily, disappearing out the door and heading for the Squad 11 barracks. The sun had just set but she figured she could catch Marluxia or Xigbar before they went to sleep.

"What do you want now?" Xigbar asked when she slipped into the dojo.

"I need someone to go tell Sora that we can get Roxas out of his body tomorrow," Kairi told them excitedly.

"What?" Ikkaku asked from his position on the floor. Xigbar had knocked him down again.

"Takes too long to explain," Kairi said, hardly glancing at him.

"I'll go," Marluxia broke in. "I'll have him back in no time."

He opened a dark portal, slipping through much to Yumichika and Ikkaku's surprise. Kenpachi didn't even glance at it while Yachiru slept curled up in his lap.

"Alright, you've got what you want, now go," Xigbar ordered.

Kairi stuck her tongue out at him and then left, making her way towards Squad 2 barracks as the night swirled around her. She was almost there when she noticed three figures slumped against the wall.

"More Organization members," she breathed, rushing towards them and pulling down all three of their hoods.

Angry green eyes glared at her as the first one, a blond, shoved her back and stood up. "Who are you?"  
"K-Kairi," Kairi stuttered. "You're Larxene."

"Namine's Somebody, huh? Well if I can't kick her, I suppose you'll do!" Larxene snapped her foot back only to have a hand reach out and grab it, the second figure standing up.

"Now, now, Larxene," a deep voice said.

Kairi cowered back even further. "Xemnas…"

RSRSRS

"Hey guys," Marluxia greeted, appearing right in Riku and Sora's room.

"Marluxia? What the hell?" Riku demanded, sitting up. Sora sat up beside him, rubbing sleepy eyes.

"They already found a way to get your bodies back, let's go," Marluxia ordered. "I already told Zexion and Demyx though they were pissed for waking them up. But whatever."

"What about Axel?" Sora asked excitedly, climbing over Riku and almost falling to the floor.

"Go tell him," Marluxia ordered. "Then we're leaving."

Riku stood up, grabbing a change of clothes for both himself and Sora, throwing them into Sora's arms when he dashed back in, Axel and Wonderweiss at his heels. Zexion and Demyx sauntered in after them.

"Roxas…I'm going to see Roxas again," Axel breathed, leaning against the wall, still trying to take it in.

"Aren't you lucky?" Marluxia drawled as Riku and Sora slipped into the bathroom to change.

Somehow, Axel and the others had already managed to do that and Wonderweiss was now clinging to Axel instead of Demyx.

"Alright let's go!" Sora shouted, running back into the room.

"They aren't doing anything until tomorrow," Marluxia sighed.

"I don't care, let's go," Sora ordered.

"Right, right."

RSRSRS

"Yes, it's me. And look who else has decided to join us," Xemnas cooed.

As he spoke, Saix, Lexaeus, Luxord, Xaldin, and Vexen rose to their feet, each of them staring at her coolly.

"You're Sora's most precious person, if I recall," Saix said calmly, smirking when Larxene laughed.

"No I'm not," Kairi denied, getting to her feet and summoning her Keyblade.

_**Kairi! You can't fight them alone!**_

___I have to try!_

"Oh really? But if I recall, he got down on his knees and begged to see you," Saix said softly, flicking blue hair over his shoulder.

"You're wrong. Riku means the most to him!"

"Oh shut up Kairi. You're both important to me!" Sora shouted.

Kairi turned around to see Marluxia, Sora, Riku, Demyx, Zexion, Axel, and Wonderweiss emerge from a dark portal, rushing over to them and glaring at the others.

"Vexen," Marluxia breathed.

Vexen's green eyes widened. "Marluxia…you're alive."

"Stay where you are," Xemnas ordered harshly. "You are not allowed to leave us."

"Says who?" demanded a voice.

Everyone looked to the roof top above Xemnas. Soi Fon stood there, Xigbar right beside him. Soi Fon vanished from sight, suddenly snatching Vexen and sliding to a halt beside the others, Xigbar swiftly joining them. Marluxia embraced Vexen tightly, ignoring the others completely.

"Do you honestly think you can take on all of us?" Riku demanded.

Xemnas smirked. "Ah, Riku. Has Ansem been disturbing you lately?"

"For your information, we get along just fine," Riku snapped.

"Hey, Luxord. I missed you! I had no one to gamble with. You sure you want to bet on the losing side?" Xigbar called.

Saix lunged to grab Luxord but he had already moved to join them.

"If I know the winner I'm not going to bet on the loser," Luxord said, grinning.

"Still want to fight?" Sora called.

"It seems you're losing two of your own allies," Xemnas said, nodding towards Marluxia and Vexen who were slowly edging away.

"Marluxia?" Demyx asked.

Marluxia's eyes were pained. "I don't want to be apart of this. Please…I don't want to fight any of you. Just let us go."

Sora nodded before anyone could speak. "Go."

Marluxia quickly opened a portal, ushering Vexen through and following after him quickly after a mutter apology.

"Soi Fon, stay out of this," Axel ordered. "This is our fight."

Soi Fon nodded in understanding, jumping up to the roof. "I won't let anyone interfere."

"Then let's start this, shall we?" Axel cackled, his chakrams appearing in a flurry of flames. "You guys are delaying me. I want to see Roxas."

"It seems you forget yourselves," Saix said calmly, pointing a slim hand to the moon above them.

"Oh my God," Sora whispered. A full moon. Which meant…

A feral growl ripped from Saix's throat as his giant claymore appeared, orange eyes sparking. Axel was on him in seconds while Demyx lunged at Lexaeus, knowing he had type advantage over the large man. Zexion moved up to the roof as well, knowing he wasn't in any condition to fight with a missing eye. That and he didn't have his lexicon. He didn't know where it was actually.

Riku quickly engaged Xaldin while Kairi attacked Larxene, eyes flashing.

"I hate you for what you did to Namine," Kairi hissed as Larxene used her kunais to block her Keyblade.

"You think I care?" Larxene crowed.

Xigbar moved to help Demyx while Luxord went to help Riku. Sora headed straight for Xemnas.

"I knew you would come back," Sora hissed as Xemnas blocked each of his slices with his glowing red swords.

"And what gave it away?" Xemnas said softly.

"If the others were appearing, you would too."

Axel blocked the heavy swings of the claymore, struggling to keep his grip firm on his chakrams as each hit jarred his arms. When Saix was angry, it had always scared him. When Saix was in berserk mode he had always run for cover in the past. But now he knew he couldn't give in.

"Burn baby!"

Fire spiraled around him, burning parts of Saix's cloak. Saix shed the cloak without halting his attacks, battering Axel closer and closer to a wall. If he was cornered, he knew it was the end. Plus the wall he was heading for was straight at Wonderweiss.

Lexaeus used his tomahawk to tear another water clone apart before slamming a fist into Xigbar who had appeared behind him. Xigbar gritted his teeth when he heard his rib snap and he hit the wall.

"Demyx…can't fight," he gasped.

"I'm on it!" Demyx cried, setting a flurry of high pressure jets into Lexaeus, wincing when the older man cried out. He really didn't like hurting people.

Riku growled when a spear sank into his shoulder, ripping it out without a second thought and snapping it with his hands. Luxord had already been knocked out cold much to Riku's displeasure. He resumed hacking a way at Xaldin, blocking each of the lances with speed he didn't know he had as he did so.

_Ansem…are you lending me your speed?_

_**Don't count on it happening again.**_

Xaldin grunted as Riku slashed him across his chest but smirked when he was able to plunge a spear into his side. Riku cried out, falling to his knees as pain lanced through him. He so wasn't in the mood for this.

_Ansem?_

_**Fine! Take him!**_

Xaldin's eyes widened when a dark being appeared at Riku's back. He moved to stab it but it suddenly seized his throat, raising him off the ground before slamming him into the wall, dropping him to the ground unconscious.

"Since when did you get strong?" Larxene panted. "I figured if you were as weak as Namine then-"

"I've been training!" Kairi growled. She grinned as she sent the flat of her Keyblade whamming into the side of her head, sending Larxene to the ground unconscious.

_Not good, not good, not good,_ Axel thought as he neared Wonderweiss.

"Sorry Saix, but you can't go near the kid," Axel told him, digging his feet into the dirt and resisting the next attack as best he good only to have his chakrams knocked out of his hands.

Saix raised the claymore above his head and Axel's eyes widened. But suddenly, he froze. Axel stared as Wonderweiss successfully reached up and grabbed Saix's elbow, keeping his arm held up firmly. _Is he really that strong?_ Axel thought. He gaped when red energy crackled at the tips of the fingers on his free hand, watching as the red energy collected before shooting directly up at Saix's claymore, shattering it successfully. Then, before they could move, Wonderweiss snapped his foot back, unfurling it into Saix's side and sending him flying.

"Wonderweiss…" Axel murmured.

"B-best friend," Wonderweiss said, beaming at him happily.

Xemnas pulled back, flipping up onto the roof and surveying the situation.

"Lexaeus! Open a portal and get Saix and Xaldin out of here. I'll get Larxene!" Xemnas barked.

Before anyone could stop them, they were gone, disappearing completely. For several tense minutes the only sound heard was ragged breathing and the steady thuds of Riku and Sora falling to the ground in exhaustion. Axel leaned up against the wall, clutching Wonderweiss to him as Zexion rushed to Demyx's side.

"I'm going to get Squad 4," Soi Fon said hurriedly, before vanishing.

"Riku…are you okay?" Sora asked, pointing to the bleeding wound.

Riku nodded, falling onto his back. "I can't believe they're back. We should tell King Mickey."

"We have no idea where he is," Kairi said, moving to sit beside them.

"We'll just have to deal with this ourselves."

"Marluxia is such a fool," Zexion muttered, sitting down next to Xigbar as Demyx sat down on the other side of him. "How could he leave us?"

"He was in love with Vexen. I don't blame him for not wanting to risk their lives again," Demyx said quietly. "I wish we could do the same…but I won't leave Axel or Sora."

"I'll help," Xigbar told them. "I'm not gonna be a coward."

"Thanks…we're going to need all the help we can get."

RSRSRS

The next morning, Sora, Kairi, and Riku headed for Squad 4, leaving the others to sleep in. Unohana greeted them with a cheery smile when they entered the operating room, Riku of course staying outside.

"Is this going to hurt at all?" Sora asked as he slid onto one of the operating tables, Kairi on the other.

"Not at all," Unohana told him. "We don't even have to perform surgery. I'll put you under now so when Mayuri gets here we can begin immediately."

"I thought you said no surgery?" Sora asked, eyes narrowing.

"It's easier to access your mind if you're unconscious," Unohana explained, handing him a pill and a glass of water, quickly giving Kairi the same things.

Kairi gave Sora a wary smile. "Here we go."

They both popped the pills into their mouths, clinking their glasses together. "Cheers."

Sora handed the glass to Unohana before laying back, feeling the medicine taking effect almost instantly.

_Roxas…it's going to be weird not feeling you here all the time. _

_**Same here. But…Axel…I get to see Axel again.**_

RSRSRS

Riku was unsure of how long he waited in the other room for them; he lost track. His mind was filled with worry due to last night's events and what was transpiring right now. What if something went wrong? What if Sora or Kairi died? He glanced at the clock quickly. One hour had passed and still nothing. How long was it going to take? His feet tapped out a staccato rhythm on the wooden floor as he wrung his hands, wishing desperately for Sora to walk back out the doors and tell him he was okay. The door clicked open and Riku's head flew up.

A brown blur tackled him before he could move however, effectively pinning him to the chair as he was hugged tight. He looked over Sora's shoulder to see Roxas stepping out of the room as well, a little unsteady on his feet. He shot a smile at Riku as Namine and Kairi followed.

"It worked Riku!" Kairi squealed, rushing over to hug them both at the same time.

Happiness like he had never known was flooding through Sora as he cuddled into Riku. Roxas was now his own person and he could finally be with Riku, just him, no one else.

"Um…does anyone know where I can find Axel?" Roxas asked, blushing deeply.

Namine nodded, brushing thin locks of blond hair out of the way. "I can tell. I don't know how, but I can. Just follow me."

RSRSRS

Axel stared at the ceiling, mind spinning. Did it work out okay? Was Roxas going to be alright? What if they accidentally destroyed him and there was no hope for him ever coming back?

A knock came at his door and he jolted up. "Who is it?"

The door opened and Roxas stepped through. "Hey…"

"Roxas…" Axel whispered, staring at the blond angel now standing in his doorway.

Roxas's clear blue eyes were practically radiating happiness as he stepped further into the room, closing the door with his foot and locking it firmly. Then he was on Axel, kissing him fiercely and shoving him back on the bed. It was like the dying fire within Axel had been reignited, spreading searing heat through his limbs. His hands tangled in blond locks, easily taking control of the kiss. It was so familiar, the taste of Roxas's smooth lips, the wet tongue, the hot cavern.

Roxas whimpered as hands skimmed over him, leaving small fires in their wake. Axel flipped them over as Roxas writhed, his lips moving to the creamy neck and letting cries of unbridled passion free. Roxas didn't protest as he was stripped of his shirt; it opened up more ways for Axel to pleasure him.

"Axel…" Roxas whimpered, eyes slipping to half mast.

Axel pinched the small nipples, leaning down to suckle first the left, then the right. Roxas's cries made his head spin and he felt he would die if the passion escalated any higher. So he drew back, sitting up and staring into twin blue pools.

"Roxas…I've missed you so much," Axel whispered.

Roxas shivered at the raw emotion in the red head's voice.

"Axel…do you know how hard it was to see you and not be able to touch you? Do you know how much it hurts?" Roxas asked, voice strained.

"I don't think I ever could," Axel said softly, trailing his hands down the pale chest beneath him, reveling at the smoothness of the skin. "I do know that I love you. Xemnas can say what he wants, I know what I feel is love and I know it's real!"

"Axel…are you crying?" Roxas murmured.

Axel couldn't swallow past the lump in his throat as hot wet tears traced down his cheeks. Roxas slowly turned their positions, settling his body over Axel's and gently kissing the tattoos beneath his eyes, lapping up the tears. Once again, their lips met. Unlike last time, the kiss was slow and unhurried as each took their time exploring the other's mouth lazily. Roxas tugged Axel's shirt up, continuing to kiss him after it was gone. He then made his way down the thin neck, nipping and sucking his way down. Axel threw his head back as Roxas toyed with his nipples briefly, continuing down.

He was trying to memorize all the spots Axel liked best all over again, trying to imprint the unique taste that was purely Axel permanently on his tongue. Axel panted softly, writing under the press of Roxas's talented lips and tongue. He had missed it so much. The feel of Roxas…everything about him and now that he had it back, he refused to relinquish his prize.

Roxas tugged black pants down slim hips, throwing them to the ground followed quickly by Axel's boxers. Axel let out a long moan when his hard length was taken in by a hot wet cavern. He obviously hadn't lost hi touch. The nimble tongue tasted every inch of him while his head bobbed up and down at a slow and languid pace. Axel resisted bucking, not wanting to accidentally choke the beautiful blond.

Roxas left his length, sliding back up his body to capture Axel's lips. Neither needed to speak; words were not needed at all. Axel flipped them again, worshipping Roxas's body the same way he had just been lavished until he reached the pants. They soon joined Axel's on the floor as Axel slid a hand up to Roxas's mouth. Roxas took three digits into his mouth, covering them with his saliva as Axel decorated his inner thighs with kisses. Finally, Axel retraced his hand, sliding the first wet finger into Roxas entrance.

Roxas bit his lip in discomfort but Axel was patient, letting him adjust before slowly pumping. Roxas nodded when he was ready for the next one. It slid in just as slowly as the first, moving at a steady pace as he stretched the tight muscles. Roxas began rocking his hips against the fingers as pleasure began zipping through him, the signal that he was ready for the third and final finger. In no time at all, Axel found Roxas's sweet spot. Rubbing against it and making Roxas toss his head back and forth, moans escaping his throat.

"Ready for me?" Axel asked softly, pulling the fingers out and moving to pump his member, spreading the pre-cum.

Roxas nodded, face flushed bright red. "I need you Axel, please."

Axel gently pressed into him, swallowing the whimpers with a kiss. It was tight and hot, encasing Axel completely. But he didn't move at all, too afraid that he would hurt Roxas. Finally, Roxas rolled his hips. Axel pulled out and pushed back in, keeping his pace slow and lazy, panting harshly into Roxas's neck. Roxas chanted his name repeatedly, soaking his lips with the two syllables. Through the entire act, Axel never sped up and Roxas found he didn't want him to, relishing in the love and passion put into every smooth motion.

His climax rose steadily, making his vision hazy as pleasure clouded his mind until he finally came, muscles clamping down on Axel's length, making him climax as well.

Axel collapsed against Roxas, shuddering. "Roxas…I love you."

"I love you too, Axel. So much."

"Beautiful Roxy. Absolutely beautiful."

RSRSRS

Namine, Kairi, Sora, Riku, and everyone else were gathered in the Squad 2 dojo, which Soi Fon had been polite enough to empty out for them.

"So where's Roxas…and Axel?" Demyx asked.

"Where do you think?" Xigbar snapped, drawing a blush from Demyx.

"Anyways," Riku said. "We need a plan. Xemnas is on the loose and Sora still needs to lock all the Keyholes."

"Let's split up. One group looks for Xemnas and prepares for war. The other continues looking for Keyholes," Namine suggested.

"War?" Luxord asked, startled.

"Well of course," Zexion sighed. "Xemnas is probably off gathering forces so he can take all of us down, once and for all."

"So we will prepare to fight him," Namine finished.

"I'll make groups now," Zexion said, glancing around at everyone. "Xigbar, Luxord, Namine, Demyx, and I will go to Hollow Bastion and talk to the others there. I can almost guarantee Marluxia and Vexen will be there too. I'll talk to them, see if I can get them to join up with us. Now that leaves Sora, Riku, Kairi, Roxas, Axel, and Wonderweiss to look for Keyholes. Axel can come and get one of us if you need help."

"So we're just using portals for travel now?" Kairi asked.

"Wrong. We can't travel to worlds we've never been too," Xigbar told her.

"So is everyone clear?" Zexion asked.

"Yep," Sora answered, nodding once.

"We have to wait for Roxas and Axel first," Namine said, blushing.

"Then we leave the Soul Society," Zexion said firmly.

_You're going down once and for all Xemnas, you just wait,_ Sora thought.


	23. Chapter 23

Axel and Roxas emerged from the room after quickly changing their clothes, Axel leading him towards Sora and Riku's room, unable to help himself as he stopped every few feet to kiss the blond. Each time Roxas blushed, afraid they would be seen. When they entered Sora's room they saw Riku, Kairi, Sora, and Wonderweiss all waiting for them.

"Um…what's going on?" Axel asked.

"We're going to look for the Keyholes," Sora told him. "The rest are going to go to Hollow Bastion and get ready for fighting Xemnas."

"Alright then," Axel said, breaking into his trademark grin. "Let's go."

RSRSRS

"Landing now," Riku called back as he began shutting off the engines.

"Oh fun," Axel sighed. "Wake up Roxy."

Roxas was cuddled under his left arm, Wonderweiss under his right. Both were sleeping soundly.

"I don't want to," Roxas grumbled, sitting up nonetheless.

Wonderweiss woke up immediately, instantly wide awake as they began to descend.

"Yeah, Sora, I'm glad you aren't driving anymore," Kairi said. "Riku's a lot better at landing."  
"Oh shut up! I like freefalling," Sora snapped, pouting when he turned back around.

They coasted to a stop in the middle of a grassy field, the sun shining high above them. To the front was the back of a house.

"You landed in someone's backyard Riku," Axel pointed out. "Good job."

"Like you could do any better," Riku countered, opening the door on his side and climbing out, followed quickly by everyone else.

"Who are you?" a girl's voice demanded.

Everyone's gaze turned back towards the house where a blonde haired girl was standing, hands on her hips as she glowered at them. Her long hair was held in a ponytail and a wrench was dangling from one of her hands. A small black top showed off her midriff, purple cargo pants hanging low on her hips.

"Axel here, aren't you adorable?" Axel asked, striding up the porch steps, and towering over her, giving her his best winning smile.

Seconds later he was back on the ground, a good sized bump growing on his head due to the fact that he had been hit in the head with the metal wrench. Sora chuckled, walking up the porch steps with Riku and Kairi on either side of him.

"Why we're here is strictly confidential," Sora told her. "We can only tell you under extreme circumstances."

The girl's eyes narrowed, glancing over the three in front of her before drifting behind them to Roxas who was leaning over Axel with Wonderweiss slowly edging closer towards Sora and the others.

"Well…just come in for now. My grandma is out right now but when she gets back you guys better be ready for some explaining," she sighed.

"That's nice of you," Roxas said as he and Axel approached them. "Please excuse his earlier behavior. Despite the fact that he's taken he can't seem to stop going after every girl he sees."

"Whatever. I'm Winry. I'm sort of in the middle of something but just go in and sit at the table," she ordered, moving out of the way for them to enter the house.

A teenage boy was sitting at the table already in nothing but shorts and a white tank top. Long dark blond hair was held in a leather band and amber eyes narrowed at them suspiciously. But the most distinctive feature was the fact that he was missing his right arm and left leg.

"Winry…who are these guys?" he asked.

"I have no idea. Said it's a secret. I'm guessing the military," she sighed, sitting down across from him and pulling a hunk of metal up from the floor, slamming it on the table before going to work at it with the wrench.

"Nah, I don't think so. So…why are you guys here?" the boy asked.

"Didn't you here the girl? It's a secret," Riku said, sitting down. Sora didn't hesitate to plop down in his lap while Axel hopped up on a nearby counter with Roxas. Kairi sat in the only other open chair while Wonderweiss began to wander around the small connecting living room.

"Are you with the military?' he asked.

"Nope," Sora answered.

"Oh. You guys didn't look familiar so I didn't think you were," he said with a shrug.

"You're in the military?" Axel gaped.

"Yes…is something weird about that?" he asked, eyes narrowing dangerously.

"No it's just I thought you were a little-"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT HE COULD NEVER FIT INTO A MILITARY UNIFORM!" he suddenly interrupted.

"Edward!" Winry cried.

"Brother, no one said that," a small voice said.

Everyone's head swiveled to the stair case where a metal suit of armor was slowly walking down the steps.

"Did that suit of armor just speak?" Axel asked.

"That's Alphonse," Winry said, glancing over at them. "His soul is attached the armor."

"Winry…" Ed growled warningly. "Let's stay out of that please."

"We won't ask," Sora told him. "Wonderweiss! Please don't climb in there!"

Alphonse was currently holding Wonderweiss back and Axel hopped off the counter, grabbing Wonderweiss and slinging him over his shoulder, plopping him down on his lap once he had sat down on the floor. Roxas quickly joined him.

"Sorry about that. He's quite curious," Kairi beamed.

"It's fine," Alphonse said, moving to stand beside Ed. "Are you almost done Winry?"

"No, Al. It's going to take awhile," Winry muttered, an angry note in her voice.

"Is something wrong?" Ed asked.

"Nothing. Really. I'll tell you guys later," Winry said quietly. "Alright, your leg is done."

"So…you construct metal limbs then?" Sora asked.

"Auto mail," Ed corrected. "Best in the business."

"You bet I am!" Winry said proudly, kneeling down. There were several clinking sounds and then Ed hissed in pain, eyes squeezing shut tightly.

"Alright, that's done," Winry said, wiping her forehead. "Now I'll adjust your arm."

"So…how do these things work?" Roxas asked curiously, walking over and watching as Winry pulled out a metal arm and began working on it.

"It attaches to the nerves of someone's limb and makes possible to move. It's also extremely strong and in Ed's case, allows him to do alchemy without a transmutation circle," Winry answered without giving Ed a chance.

"Alchemy?" Kairi questioned.

"You guys really aren't from around here, are you?" Ed sighed, smirking. "It's a way to fight. You take something and turn it into something else."

"Interesting…I wonder…" Riku murmured quietly.

"You wonder what?" Ed asked suspiciously.

Riku smiled at him quickly. "Nothing important. But I do have a question. Have there been any…strange creatures around here lately?"

Ed's eyes widened. "What do you know about them? You obviously know something, don't you?"

"Well…we can tell them a little bit can't we Riku? I mean…he is in the military. Maybe we can learn more about the situation this way," Sora suggested quietly.

"Fine."

Sora turned back towards them. "So here's the quick version. Those beings are Heartless. They are after the Keyblade all the time, which is what Kairi, Riku, and I use as a weapon. But they also want to swallow up worlds completely. So the three of us travel from world to world and lock the Keyhole and stopping the Heartless."

Ed, Alphonse, and Winry stared at them, slightly gaping and completely silent. Sora beamed, trying to get a response out of them.

"Well…that was a lot to take in," Winry said, turning serious and resuming her work briskly.

"That…was the quick version?" Ed asked, swallowing.

"We could get into all the-"

"Better not confuse them Sora. Anyways…this military of yours…do you think you could take us with you when you go back to headquarters or whatever?" Riku asked.

"I suppose. I mean…our world would be swallowed up if I didn't," Ed answered. "So sure."

"Alright. This is the last bit," Winry informed Ed, moving the arm towards his shoulder.

She fixed it into the socket and then shoved, once again drawing a hiss of pain from Ed as everything was reconnected. As she drew back, she dropped the wrench on the table and stood up.

"I'm going to go wash my hands. If Grandma comes back before I get back down here, explain things to her. Let her know they aren't from the military," Winry said, climbing up the stairs.

"I know Winry," Ed called. "So these Heartless…can people control them?"

Instantly, they all became tense. It was beginning to feel like déjà vu with what had happened with Kaname, putting them all on edge.

"Why would you want to know?" Kairi asked.

Ed sighed, obviously guessing what they thought. "I don't want control of them. I just want to find a way to get Al's body back and I know there's no way those creatures can help that goal."

"Dark feelings," Axel answered. "If there is total darkness in your heart, controlling the Heartless is easy. Like a second nature. I can only do this."

He snapped his fingers and a several Dusks popped up around them. Ed jolted up in alarm but Axel quickly got rid of them again, staring at the ground.

"I can't control them as well now. They don't like obeying me," he continued.

Sora winced, remembering when the swarm had attacked them so long ago, when Axel had given his life to save him and open a portal to continue on.

"So she isn't back yet?" Winry asked, descending the stairs again.

"Yes I am," a weathered voice said, the front door creaking open as a short woman with grey hair stepped through. The hair was tugged into a messy bun and she was carrying a bag of vegetables.

Roxas was quick to take the bag, setting it on the counter and giving her a quick smile. She didn't spare a glance at him.

"Hey Auntie Pinako," Al greeted. "Remember those things we told you about?"

"What things?" Pinako demanded, hopping up into the chair Winry had been sitting in.

"The weird beings that were appearing in Central," Ed explained.

"What about them? And who are these people?"

"These guys can help us get rid of them," Ed told her. "They aren't from the military though."

Riku nodded inwardly with satisfaction. _He's telling her the barest facts, keeping the important information out. He's smart._

"I see. Well, we don't have enough room for all of them. They'll have to find somewhere else to stay."

"Grandma, we have two guest bed rooms. Kairi can bunk with me and the other five can split the two rooms," Winry sighed. "Stop being so hostile."

"I've just been on edge lately. What with Archer and his squad snooping around here and-"

"Archer?" Ed demanded sharply. "What was he doing around here?"

"Confidential, apparently," Pinako sniffed, obviously displeased.

"I'll ask Mustang about it when I get back to Central. I'm taking these six with me," Ed told her.

"If it's confidential he probably won't tell you, brother," Alphonse pointed out. "Besides, Archer ranks above you and Mustang so he might not even know."

"Can't hurt to ask. Though he probably won't answer," Ed grumbled. "I hate him sometimes."

"We know, Edward," Winry said, grinning good naturedly. Her mood had certainly improved.

"So was that what you were so uptight about? Archer?" Ed asked.

"Yeah," Winry admitted. "Anyways, I'll show you six the guest bedrooms."

"Actually, Ed, if you don't mind, I'd like to talk to you in private," Riku said, moving Sora off of him and standing up.

"Sure. I'll just go change."

RERERE

"So you work for the military then?" Riku asked as he and Ed slowly walked through the dirt streets of Risembool.

"Yes."

"Young, aren't you?"

"Probably not any younger than you," Ed told him.

"Sixteen."

"Fifteen. One year."

Riku smirked. "So, tell me more about Archer."

"Why do you want to know?" Ed asked suspiciously.

"More on the Heartless. He may be connected to them in some way," Riku told him.

"If you think he is…I should probably tell you about the homunculus too," Ed sighed. "It's confusing, but it might help you."

"Just tell me."

"Well…homunculus are failed human transmutations. Human transmutations are trying to be humans back to life. The law of alchemy is simply this. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. The make up of the human body is known and all the materials can be bought. But there's something missing. That's why the transmutations fail. The transmutations become homunculus, beings that look human and are capable of great power and unique abilities. They might have a connection to those Heartless," Ed explained.

"So these homunculus are alive right now?" Riku asked.

"Yes…the ones I've met are Envy, Lust, Gluttony, Wrath, and Greed. Greed is…dead. Wrath is with me now. I talked him into helping me out," Ed explained.

"They're named after the seven sins," Riku muttered.

"They've after the philosopher's stone," Ed added. "They want to be whole again."

Riku stopped, shock running through him. "Just like Xemnas and all the others, They just want-"

"Riku! Come quick! Something is wrong with Axel and Roxas!" Kairi shouted, racing towards them.

Ed and Riku snapped into action, tearing back towards the house before Kairi even reached them.

RERERE

"What's going on?" Riku demanded, entering one of the guest rooms.

Axel was buried under the covers, completely hidden as Pinako stood by. The others were in Roxas's room.

"Both he and the blond collapsed, clutching their chests. They passed out and now have raging fevers," Pinako explained calmly. "That young boy refuses to leave Axel's bed."  
"Wonderweiss?" Riku questioned softly.

The blankets stirred and Wonderweiss's head peeked out. "B-best f-friend sad then h-happy. A-angry."

"You feel his emotions, don't you?" Riku asked.

Wonderweiss nodded.

"Leave him be," Riku instructed. "He's worried."

"And autistic," Pinako added, nodding wisely.

"Don't look down on him. He does understand words, you know," Riku snapped.

"Don't get angry with me if you're worried. Go check on your friends.

RERERE

It was painful, the burning coiling feeling in his chest; right where the empty place was, the place that should've been claimed by a heart. Roxas wasn't aware of how long he laid there, body burning from the inside out as if he was filled with molten lava. Slowly, the pain began to recede. He wasn't aware of it at first, the change being too small to detect. Eventually, he could feel a definite change. Instead of his whole body being in pain, it was only his torso now, the ache disappearing anywhere else until it was completely gone. And that's when he heard it. A heartbeat.


	24. Chapter 24

"Roxas?" Sora asked quietly as Roxas's eyes blinked open. "Are you okay?"

"Sora…" Roxas croaked, his throat burning.

"What is it?" Kairi asked, appearing on one side of Sora. Riku appeared on the other.

Roxas grabbed Sora's wrist and brought it to his chest, right where his heart was. Sora's eyes widened. _Is that a heartbeat…oh my god. _

"Roxas! You have a heart! Oh my God! Yes!" Sora shouted, ripping his hand a way to punch a fist in the air.

"Water…please?" Roxas asked.

"Oh, right."

Kairi rushed from the room.

"So this whole process…was you guys getting your hearts back then?" Riku asked, eyes showing he was in deep thought.

"Yeah…I think so…Axel! Is Axel okay?" Roxas asked.

"He's not awake. Wonderweiss says he's going through random mood shifts in his unconscious state," Riku said quietly, thinking hard. "I have no idea why this is happening now. I'm not saying it isn't a good thing. I just wish I knew why."

"Here you go," Kairi said, handing him a glass of water as Sora helped him sit up.

"So he's alright?" Ed asked, entering the room.

"He has his heart back," Riku said.

"Um…what?"

"Oh right…Roxas is a Nobody. They don't have hearts and therefore don't have emotions," Sora explained quickly. "They only feel echoes of emotions. But now that he has his heart back what he feels is real!"

"Is this what you meant, Riku? They wanted to be whole again. This…Xemnas guy. Is he another Nobody?" Ed asked.

"Xemnas is a Nobody, yes. But he's evil. He tried to kill us," Sora told him. "But if Axel and Roxas are getting their hearts back, does that mean Xemnas will too?"

"Most likely…they're all going through this as we speak. All thirteen of them," Riku answered quietly. "We need to contact the others. Pronto."

"I can travel," Roxas told him, slipping out from beneath the covers and standing up. "I'll go."

"Are you insane! You are not leaving-" Sora started.

"What if the others are in pain? I have to know…I have to tell Leon and the others that they're going to be okay," Roxas argued. "Gummi Ship is too slow. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Before anyone could object, he was already gone.

"What just happened?" Ed demanded.

"Darkness portal. We'll explain later. For now-" Riku stopped when Axel walked into the room, eyes deadly serious with Wonderweiss clutching his hand desperately. "Axel."

"I remember everything," Axel said darkly. "Before I became…a Nobody…"

"That's great!" Sora exclaimed. "And now you have hearts and-"

"I'm leaving," Axel continued, shoving Wonderweiss rudely across the room. "Good bye."

"Axel wait!" Sora shouted.

But it was too late. Axel was gone.

RERERE

Roxas returned an hour later to a solemn looking group gathered around the table downstairs. Wonderweiss was curled up on Kairi's lap, sobbing as she clutched him to her chest, rubbing his back soothingly.

"What's wrong…where's Axel?" Roxas demanded.

"He left," Sora told him quietly.

"But…why? The others got their hearts back too and they remembered when they were a Somebody and-"

"Obviously he was displeased with something he did in the past," Riku interrupted. "Leave him be and let him think. Don't go after him."

"He's probably trying to figure out how to fix his mistakes," Pinako said wisely, nodding her head.

Roxas leaned against the wall for support, unable to fully comprehend what he had been told. _Axel left…he's gone…it hasn't even been a day and he's gone. How could he!?_

The mood of the room drastically changed then as Roxas's expression became angry, storming out of the house. Sora moved to go after him but Riku stopped him.

"He needs to think."

"Can someone please explain?" Alphonse asked in a small voice.

"Oh…right…of course," Kairi said, smiling weakly as she shifted Wonderweiss in her arms. His sobbing had quieted to sniffles.

"Well…Nobodies don't have hearts. They lost them when they're Somebody gave over to the darkness and let it consume them," Sora started. "They lose the memories they had as a Somebody. But only a few of them can actually be in human form. Thirteen to be exact."

"How to they retain their human form?" Ed wondered, fascinated by the concept.

"Their hearts are stronger than most. They are essentially, extremely strong Nobodies. Those white things Axel showed you earlier…those are the low level Nobodies."

"Anyways, since they got their hearts back, they got their memories back. Well it seems that way," Sora continued. "For every Nobody there is a Heartless and vice versa."

"But there's thousands of those Heartless in Central! You're saying there's twice as many of those things?" Ed shouted.

"Nobodies are stronger than Heartless," Riku added nonchalantly. "But you don't need to worry. We're experts on eliminating them. We have been for almost three years now."

"Two and a half," Sora corrected.

"So you'll be able to stop them fairly easy, right?" Alphonse asked.

"We should be able to. The trouble is finding the Keyhole. Last time it was a person," Riku answered.

"A person?" Winry asked.

"Wonderweiss. I'm surprised you didn't notice the keyhole shape in his chest," Sora said.

"So basically I need to take you guys to Central right away," Ed told them. "I'll go buy train tickets."

"Here, we'll pay for ours," Riku said, tossing their munny pouch to him.

Ed caught it as he headed out the door. Sora edged towards the door as well, wanting to go after Roxas and make sure he was okay. Riku nodded and Sora was out the door in seconds, running after Roxas.

RERERE

Axel sat in the Castle that Never Was. He was sitting on the panel that marked his existence in the room, Proof of Existence. All of the portals were up again, glowing and blue but not a single one of the members were within the castle.

"God…" he whispered, head in his hands as he his elbows rested on his knees. "So horrible…"

_"I won't let you hurt her or anyone else. It isn't our fault!"_

_"Like you would even know, Aui! You're just as much to blame as anyone else!"_

_"What did we do? Tell me that!" Aui shouted. _

_"You let them die!"_

_Aui froze. "Alex…no…it wasn't our fault. If we could've stopped it we would've."_

_"I'll make you all pay…all of you."_

_"What are you talking about?"  
"You'll see. You'll all see." _

_…_

_"Alex…did you do this?" Aui's voice was breathless as he stared at the sight before him. His parents lay on the charred black ground, limbs severed and bits and pieces burned to ash. _

_Alex stood above them, a red lighter dangling from his hand. Green eyes locked with Aui's. _

_"Yes…and you aren't the only one who will pay…you all will…"_

Axel was unaware of the tears that ran down his face in steaming trails. They converged on his chin before dripping to the ground as silent sobs wracked his body, his hands fisting in his long red locks.

"I'm so sorry…Marluxia."

RERERE

"What's wrong Roxas? Why are you so angry?" Sora asked as he sat down besides Roxas in the middle of one of the numerous fields.

"Why do you think Sora? He left! He fucking left right when I got back! I haven't even seen him for a full day yet!" Roxas practically howled.

"Hey…calm down," Sora said quietly, wrapping a single arm around Roxas's shoulders, tugging him closer.

Roxas leaned against him gratefully. "I hate him right now. And I know it's real this time. I have a heart now. I should be happy but…I'm not."

"He'll come back. Don't worry," Sora assured him. "He loves you. So he'll come back."

Roxas curled up tighter. "I really hope so…I really do."

RERERE

Marluxia's eyes flickered open, slowly taking in the sounds around him. Zexion, Demyx, and Namine had found him and Vexen in Hollow Bastion, convincing them to join their side. They had and moments later all five of them had collapsed from pain. But after all he had just seen, he wasn't worried about the others. He was mad.

"Marluxia, you're awake. Finally," Vexen breathed, walking over swiftly to his bed as he sat up. Demyx and Zexion quickly rushed over, backing away quickly when they saw Marluxia's angry expression.

"Where is he?" he growled, slipping out from beneath the covers.

"Who?" Zexion asked.

"Axel."

"He should be with the others," Vexen answered. "What's wrong?"

"I'm going to kill him!" Marluxia shouted, his fist slamming into the wall as rage swept through him.

"What are you talking about?" Zexion demanded. "And get a hold of yourself."

"He killed them. He killed my parents. It's his fault I became a Nobody!" Marluxia wailed, falling to his knees.

"Hey," Vexen said quietly, kneeling beside him. "Just listen for a second."

Marluxia drew a gulp of air in, shuddering as he did so. And that was when he heard. A steady thump in his chest that echoed in his ears like a never ending drum.

"My heart," he whispered.

Vexen gently kissed his temple. "You're a Somebody. We all are."

Marluxia's anger evaporated before suddenly coming back full force and he threw Vexen off of him, getting to his feet and fixing Demyx and Zexion with a hard stare.

"I'm going to kill him. Neither of you are going to stop me. Do it, and I'll kill you too," Marluxia said quietly, dangerously.

"I won't let you kill-"

Zexion snapped a hand over Demyx's mouth, nodding once at Marluxia. "I understand. He's probably in the Castle that Never Was if he just woke up. He probably feels guilty."

Marluxia vanished from sight then.

"Why did you do that Zexion? How could you betray Axel like that?" Demyx cried.

"Calm down. I did not betray anyone. Those two need to work whatever happened in their past lives and we cannot interfere," Zexion hissed.

"What were your two lives like?" Vexen asked quietly, sitting down on Marluxia's now empty bed.

"I researched under Xemnas. Nothing more, nothing less," Zexion answered. "I was the youngest, but I already knew that."

"And you?"

Demyx shrugged. "Pretty good actually. And then my entire family was slaughtered by Heartless…that put a damper on everything."

Zexion hugged Demyx gently, kissing his neck before glancing up at Vexen. "Yours was practically the same as mine. I remember you."

Vexen nodded. _Please don't do something stupid Marluxia._

MVMVMV

Axel jolted to his feet when thudding footsteps echoing down the hall reached his ears. He knew who it was; he could feel it in his gut. Marluxia. Almost as if he was summoned by his thoughts, Marluxia strode through the door way and into the room, eyes flashing with hatred and anger.

"Marluxia I-"

"You die now," Marluxia hissed.

Axel drew his chakrams as Marluxia's scythe exploded into existence. Marluxia slashed the large weapon directly at Axel, a wave of pink and black energy hurdling towards him. Axel neatly blocked it, posture tense as he waited for Marluxia's next move. He knew Marluxia needed to work out his anger and he knew he was the only one who could take it…but the thing was…he wanted this fight to be real. He _wanted_ Marluxia to kill him.

As the thought entered his mind he dropped his chakrams and locked eyes with Marluxia, tears beading at the edges.

"Do it Marluxia. Kill me…please…just kill me!"

The last part was almost screamed and Marluxia advanced on him slowly, a predator stalking its prey. Axel closed his eyes and let the tears fall, begging for the death to come quickly.

"Do it already! Save me from this guilt!" Axel begged, fearful of opening his eyes.

He was unable to hold in a whimper as the cool metal of a blade touched his throat, sinking in until several drops of blood beaded and trailed down his neck.

"How should I kill you, Axel?" Marluxia asked softly, a glove clad hand reaching forward to gently stroke Axel's cheek. "Should I burn you? Or cut off your limbs and leave you to bleed to death? What do you think is the best idea? Hm? Tell me."

Axel shook his head slowly. "I don't know." His voice was hoarse and barely audible as the tension built.

"What about this? I go and find Roxas. I bring him back here and torture him, right in front of you. But you can't do a thing. If you do, I'll kill him. That would be horrible, wouldn't it? Can you imagine his face? He'd be crying. It always tore you apart when he cried, didn't it? So then, after I've tortured him to near death, I'll come over to you and tear you limb from limb. And then I'll burn your arms and legs. After that, I'll burn you. Send you down to hell in flames, hm? Sound good?"

"Don't hurt Roxas…anything but that. Just kill me. I'm the one who deserves it," Axel whispered.

"But the best way to hurt you is to hurt Roxy, isn't it?" Marluxia cooed. "Oh well. I don't have time to get him. I'll just kill you now."

Marluxia stepped back from Axel, taking in the quivering form of the man he had once feared. The tears that wetted the pale cheeks were something he had never seen before and it gave him a sick sort of satisfaction that he had been the one to cause them. He moved his scythe into a better position and swung.


	25. Chapter 25

Axel held his breath, opening his eyes when there was no pain. Instead, there was a dull thud and then,

"Ya crazy bastard. What do you think you're doing?" Xigbar growled.

Axel's eyes flashed open. Xigbar was standing in front of him, Marluxia's scythe lodged firmly in his back but despite the pain, Xigbar flashed him a toothy grin.

"You…protected me," Axel breathed.

"Damn straight. Now where the hell is Luxord!?"

"Sorry Xigbar. I fell behind," Luxord said, appearing behind Marluxia.

Marluxia jerked the scythe out, watching the blood flow to the ground in shock. He hadn't mean to hurt Xigbar…but…was he really going to kill Axel? He dropped the scythe as Xigbar quickly downed a potion and healed himself up.

"How did you know we were here?" Axel asked quietly, staring at the ground.

"Demyx found us. Told us Marluxia was-" Xigbar started.

"I'm sorry…Axel. I don't want you to die," Marluxia interrupted. "What you did then…you wouldn't do that now. I'm sorry."

"I forgive you."

"Well, now that that's taken care of, Axel, go back to the others. I'm sure Roxy is worried about you. Marluxia, come with us," Xigbar ordered. "Vexen's going insane with worry you stupid idiot."

RERERE

Axel reappeared in the house, right in the middle of the dining room. Winry and Ed jolted to their feet in surprise while Alphonse tripped over his metal feet, falling to the ground. He got up quickly and sat down by Ed. Wonderweiss scrambled out of Kairi's lap, pouncing on Axel's back and squeezing him tightly in a hug.

"Where have you been?" Riku asked quietly as Kairi pried Wonderweiss off of Axel's back.

"Getting my ass whooped by Marluxia," Axel answered, just as quietly. "Where's Roxas?"

"Probably with Sora. Out…somewhere," Riku said.

"I passed them on my way back," Ed told him. "They're on the other side of town on one of the hills."

Axel nodded. "Thanks."

He disappeared out the door, heading slowly for Roxas and Sora. His mind drifts to his memories from being a Somebody, as much as he really doesn't want them to. He doesn't want to think about that time.

_"Alex…I hate to be the one to tell you this but…your parents are dead…" Aui said softly. _

_The cigarette fell out of his mouth, dropping to the ground and going out seconds later, small tendrils of smoke rising into the air. He slumped against the wall as thunder booms over head, staring at Aui but never really seeing him, just a tall blur with pink hair. And then the tears were falling in thick wet streams and he was on his knees, pain shooting up his legs when his kneecaps hit the cement. _

_"How…how?" he whimpered. _

_Aui crouched down beside him. "Car crash. We were driving behind them but someone ran a red light and well…"_

_Alex didn't say anything, his hand slipping into his pocket and pulling out the red lighter. Almost as though he was in a daze, he flicked the flame on. _

_"Alex…what are you doing?" Aui asked nervously. _

_"Nothing. Nothing at all. Don't worry about it."_

_"But-"_

_"Shut up Aui. Go away."_

_"I-"_

_Alex whipped his head up, green eyes narrowed dangerously and seconds later, his hand slapped across Aui's face, forcing him to the ground from the blow. The heavens opened up then, drenching them in water as Alex stood up, letting the flame die as he stepped over Aui. And as the flame died, so did his sanity. _

"Axel…" Roxas breathed.

Axel stopped in front of Sora and Roxas, gaze still on the ground.

"I'll just go. Talk to you guys later," Sora said quickly, getting to his feet and walking away quickly.

"Where did you go?" Roxas asked, standing up.

Axel didn't answer, he just leaned forward and hugged Roxas tightly, burying his face in the mess of blond locks. Roxas tentatively wrapped his arms around Axel before sinking into the warmth he was still getting used to, sharing his own with Axel. He didn't know why Axel had run away or why Axel was so bitter and lonely but he did know he had to help in anyway he could.

RERERE

"Sorry you guys got wrapped up in our problems," Sora apologized as Winry rushed around the room fixing them lunch.

"Don't worry about it," Ed assured him. "Our train is at six in the morning as a heads up so make sure you get some rest."

"I am not a morning person," Kairi sighed. "Oh well. I can sleep on the train."

"Here you guys go," Winry said, quickly setting down plates in front of all of them.

"So this Archer guy," Riku started. "What's so bad about him?"

"He's just..." Winry started.

A knock came at the door, interrupting all of them. Winry hurried over and pulled it open.

"Speak of the devil," Ed muttered.

"Good day Winry. A member of my team has informed me that you have suspicious guests. At the moment, I have sent them to tail two of the ones they've seen. If you would be so kind to let me in," said a cool and collected voice.

Winry was shoved roughly to the side and a tall man stepped into the room. Brown hair was slicked back to reveal dangerous dark eyes, an all knowing smirk spreading pale lips.

"Is it really nice to shove a lady?" Riku asked, getting to his feet.

"My apologies. I did not mean to. Ah, Fullmetal. I see you're on vacation," Archer said, turning to look at Ed.

"I needed to get my auto mail fixed," Ed said quietly, not looking at him for fear of openly displaying his hatred for the man.

"I have to ask you to take your men off of tailing my friends. They are dealing with private matters right now," Sora told Archer. "It would be best if they were not disturbed."

"We appreciate your concern but it's too late," Roxas said as both he and Axel were dragged in after Axel.

Before anyone could move, Archer's men were knocked flat on their backs and Wonderweiss was glowering at them with angry violet eyes, wrapping an arm protectively around Axel's waist.

"Good job, Wonderweiss," Roxas said, impressed by the display. Wonderweiss always showed his fighting prowess at just the right time.

"I see you have a guard dog," Archer mused.

Axel's eyes flashed angrily. "I am really not in the mood right now. Say another word about Wonderweiss and I will take it upon myself to burn your face off!"

Roxas grabbed his wrist, quickly grounding him. "Calm down Axel."

Axel looked away from Archer, glowering at the ground instead.

"Why did your men take us?" Axel asked after he had regained some control.

"You were suspicious characters, with the way you were dressed. We wanted to make sure you didn't pose a threat. You obviously do, because of the threat. I'm afraid I'll have to place you under arrest," Archer said, obviously not sorry or afraid at all.

"Brigadier Archer! I can't let you do that," Ed objected, getting to his feet.

"And why not, Major Elric?" Archer asked, his voice becoming deadly serious.

Ed's eyes didn't falter as he fixed Archer with a cold amber stare. "I can vouch that these men are completely harmless and that you acted on them without giving them a reason. Of course they would be startled and fight back and on top of that, you shouldn't insult those you are questioning. I'm sure Fuehrer Bradley wouldn't appreciate it if word got back to him."

Archer locked eyes with Ed and for several tense minutes, everything was silent. Sora chewed his lip and Riku resisted the urge to summon Way to Dawn as a precaution, knowing it would just get them in more trouble.

"I see. You are right, Major Elric. But I'm sure you wouldn't mind going upstairs with the girl and your brother while I question your guests," Archer said.

"Of course not."

Ed tugged Winry up the stairs with Al behind them before Winry could object. Axel slammed the door shut before Archer's men could recover and dragged Roxas and Wonderweiss over to the counter. He hopped up onto it, tugging Wonderweiss onto his lap and moving so that there was room for Roxas. Sora, Kairi, and Riku resumed where they had been seated at the table and Archer took the next available seat.

"Now," Archer started. "Let me ask you this. Where are you from?"

"You wouldn't know the place," Riku answered stiffly.

"Just answer the question," Archer ordered.

"A different world," Sora spoke up, obviously hating the man for pressuring them. He didn't want to endanger Winry, Ed, or Alphonse by resisting answering.

"I see…so, tell me about this world," Archer said.

"We cannot do that," Axel interrupted. "That is confidential information. Look at it this way. The reason you're here in Risembool is confidential. The reason we're here is also confidential. We cannot tell you."

Archer sighed. "If you insist. Now, tell me. How did you get here?"

"The ship," Kairi answered, pointing to it.

"Do you mind if we examine it?"

"Sora, I'm going to take Axel and we're going to go put the ship where the others are. I'm sorry, we just can't let you look at that," Riku apologized, motioning for Axel to follow him.

"Understandable," Archer said, surprising them all with his sudden cooperation.

_What is this, good cop bad cop?_ Roxas thought as Axel set Wonderweiss down and headed out the door with Riku.

"So is that all?" Kairi asked, still tense.

"I request you come back with me to Central to talk to the Fuehrer about this," Archer told them, his tone informing them that it was _not_ a request, but an order.

"We're already going back with Ed. We bought our tickets," Sora said. "We assure you, we will not be a threat to any of the citizens."

"Like I care about them. Anyways, when you arrive there, report to Colonel Mustang. He'll send you to the Fuehrer."

"Yes sir," Sora said with a nod, wincing inwardly at Archer's view on the citizens.

"Good. I will leave you now. Good bye."

Archer got to his feet and left the house without another word. Seconds after he was gone, Ed and the others quickly thudded down the stairs.

"So what did he want?" Ed demanded.

"And where are Axel and Riku?" Alphonse added.

"Hiding the ship," Kairi answered.

"And he just wanted to know what we were doing here," Sora finished.

"You didn't tell him, did you?" Ed asked.

"Of course not. We aren't stupid," Roxas sighed, fixing Wonderweiss's hair from where they both sat on the counter top.

"We're going to Central with you tomorrow. We're supposed to report to Colonel Mustang and have him send us to the Fuehrer," Sora told them.

"NO!" Ed and Al both shouted in unison.

"And why not?" Sora asked.

"We think the Fuehrer is a bad guy," Alphonse said quietly.

"What're we talking about?" Riku asked as he and Axel suddenly emerged from a dark portal.

Winry jumped a bit, startled by their sudden appearance.

"Who we can tell about the Heartless. We have to report to Colonel Mustang tomorrow and have him send us to the Fuehrer. They say the Fuehrer can't be trusted," Roxas quickly informed them, tugging Wonderweiss over to make room for Axel.

"I don't want you guys telling the Fuehrer anything. I don't know if he can be trusted and I don't want to risk it," Ed said quietly. "So…do you think you could just report to Mustang? He'll find a way to hide you and allow you to do all your work too."

"And you're sure he can be trusted?" Riku asked.

"Positive," Alphonse answered.

"Then that's the plan," Riku said with a nod.

RERERE

"Where _is_ that kid?"

Lust watched as the green haired man pace in front of her, running a hand through the locks of hair before sitting down abruptly, folding his legs beneath him. Envy glowered at her, as if the fact that Wrath was late was her fault.

"Don't look at me like that," Lust sighed, folding her arms across her chest and glancing away from him. "If the kid is late, it isn't my fault. It's yours. You didn't put him on the proper leash."

"Shut up Lust. It's not my fault he's obsessed with Sloth. Thinks she's his fucking mom," Envy snorted. "He's so stupid."

"Don't say that now," Lust muttered. "For all you know he's close enough to hear."

"Hear what?" Wrath asked, entering the clearing that Lust and Envy were waiting for him in.

Long shaggy black hair fell to a slim waist where dark purple shorts, identical to Envy's, were. A matching top exposed a pale and taunt stomach which made him seem like a mini replica of Envy in everyway.

_Like we need another one of those,_ Lust thought, swishing curly black hair out of her purple eyes.

"Don't worry about it," Envy drawled. "Now why were you so late?"

"Sorry. I was talking to Sloth and Pride about some things," Wrath answered, itching the back of his head. "So what do you need me for?"

"To kill Fullmetal of course," Envy sighed. "We never need you for anything else."

Lust glared at Envy when she saw Wrath's hurt expression. "Ignore him, Wrath. Just go after Fullmetal and kill him. Gluttony and I are going to head for the library and try and get our hands on those files on the philosopher's stone."

Wrath nodded, casting an uneasy look at Envy. "Okay. I'll report back to Sloth when I'm done."

"Good boy," Envy cooed, getting to his feet and walking over to Wrath, leaning down so he could look him in the eye. "And no betraying us. What would Sloth think, hm? The closest person to a son figure betrays her? Do you know how much that would hurt her?"

Wrath winced and nodded. "I know. I'll go now."

Lust watched as Wrath practically tripped over himself to get away from Envy. "You don't have to be so harsh on him. It's not like we even need him. He'll probably die fighting Fullmetal."

"Exactly," Envy said with a grin. "Then I won't have to do it myself."

"I'm leaving then. Gluttony and I will get rid of that meddlesome Scar and get the info," Lust told him, turning on her high heels and stalking out of the clearing.

Envy watched her leave, waiting until she was gone before snapping her fingers. The shadows around him suddenly took the shape of Neoshadows, pulling themselves at the ground and staring at him intently, waiting for orders.

"One of you follow Lust. The other, follow Wrath. Make sure he dies. If Fullmetal doesn't kill him, you do it," Envy ordered. "If Lust needs help, help her."

The Neoshadows sunk back into the ground and went their separate ways. Envy sat back down, leaning up against the nearest tree.

"And now I sit back and enjoy the show."


	26. Chapter 26

Ed stared outside the window, watching a small figure race across the grassy fields, heading straight for Winry's house, his path lit only by the moonlight. He knew it was Wrath and quickly swung out of bed, walking as quietly as he could out the door and down stairs. Alphonse was downstairs already, waiting for Wrath.

"Brother, I would've told you when he got here," Al said quietly.

"He's almost here. I saw him crossing some of the fields," Ed told him, sitting down next to him. "I wonder what he found out."

The front door was opened almost soundlessly and Wrath slipped through, a small shadow. He shut the door and then turned towards them. Ed held back the lingering bitter feeling when he saw Wrath's mismatched arms and legs. Those were his limbs, not Wrath's!

"So what's new?" Ed asked as nonchalantly as if he was asking about the weather.

"Lust and Gluttony are planning something, though I don't know what. I wish I knew, then I could be of more use."

"Don't worry about it Wrath."

Wrath shook his head furiously. "I do know something else. I just…don't want to tell you. I'd feel…horrible if I did. I just…I can't!"

"Wrath! You can't hide things from us!" Ed hissed. "Don't you know that?"

"I'm sorry! I...I know who the other homunculi are."

"For how long?" Ed demanded.

Wrath looked down. "For awhile now. I just…was…I felt like I was betraying them but today Sloth said some things to me and-"

"Just tell us Wrath," Ed ordered.

"Fuehrer Bradley is…Pride and his secretary is Sloth. She's your mother's homunculus," Wrath whispered.

"So that's why you felt like you were betraying them," Ed said quietly, nodding his understanding.

"I'm sorry for not telling you earlier," Wrath muttered.

"Don't worry about it," Al assured him quickly.

"What's going on?" Roxas asked sleepily, walking down the steps.

All three jolted to their feet, whirling around.

"It's not important right now," Ed said quietly, quickly. "Just go back to sleep and we'll tell you in the morning."

Roxas shrugged, tromping back up the stairs as Ed and Al turned back to Wrath. Wrath was chewing his lip.

"I can't go back to Envy though," he said.

"Why not?" Ed asked.

"Envy…says if I don't kill you I can't go back. Obviously I'm not going to so…I have to stay with you guys," Wrath said, looking down.

Ed sighed. "Of course you can stay. The couch is the only thing open though, you'll have to make do with that."

"Thank you."

RERERE

"So what was it?" Axel asked as Roxas stepped back into the room, slipping beneath the covers and snuggling into the red head's warmth.

"Some boy. Friend of Ed's I think," Roxas answered quietly. "So…are you ever going to tell me what had you wound up so tight?"

"Roxas…not now, let's sleep," Axel muttered.

"If you don't tell me now, you never will," Roxas pointed out.

"I hate it when you're right."

"Tell me."

Axel didn't say anything for several minutes, resting his head on Roxas's mess of blond hair as he thought.

"I killed Marluxia's parents…my somebody did…" Axel murmured.

Roxas was shocked at the words but didn't say anything, waiting patiently for Axel to go on as he drew small, comforting circles on his chest.

"I left…because I felt guilty and I felt that…I was a horrible person and I didn't deserve someone as pure and good as you," Axel continued. "So when Marluxia found me…he was angry that I had killed his parents when he was a Somebody…so he tried to kill me. I was going to let him but Xigbar showed up and stopped it."

"You are so stupid. We're people now, Axel. We have our hearts back and if you ever think that you don't deserve me I will hurt you so much," Roxas hissed into his neck. "If anything, I don't deserve you, Axel."

"I killed people! You never did. You don't know what it's like to cut someone's limbs off and burn them to death. You don't know what it's like to feel their blood wash over your hands!" Axel cried, trying to keep his voice quiet.

Roxas drew away so he could look at him. "You're right. I don't. But I don't care what you did in your past life. I love you and nothing changes that."

Axel clung to him tightly. "Thank you…Roxas…I love you too."

RERERE

"Remind me to never ride a train again," Sora grumbled, leaning against Riku gratefully as he sealed his eyes shut.

"Who would've guessed you get sick riding in a train?" Riku mused. "You take the flips in the Gummi Ship so easily."

"It seems the trait carried over," Axel said from the seat across from them. Roxas had a hand over his stomach as he was held tightly to Axel's chest, eyes shut tightly.

"When I can open my eyes without throwing up, you are going to die Sora. Why did you give me this?" Roxas hissed.

Riku snorted. "It's not his fault."

Sora couldn't open his mouth to respond as another wave of nausea hit him, groaning softly. Riku rubbed his back soothingly, kissing his forehead.

"You aren't feeling any better, huh?" Kairi called back from where she sat a seat in front of them with Ed, Al, Wonderweiss, and Wrath.

"They look like they're about to die," Riku told her. "We are not taking the train ever again."

"Good," Roxas managed to get out.

"W-what's wrong with R-Roxas and Sora?" Wonderweiss stumbled.

Kairi looked down at him. His head was on her lap and he had been napping a few minutes ago.

"They just get sick from the motion," Kairi told him. Wonderweiss nodded and was soon asleep again. "So Wrath…what's with the mismatched arms? Not to be rude or anything."

"They're mine," Ed answered from where the trio sat across from her. "When I gave up my limbs, Wrath was on the other side of the Gate. The Gate…well we aren't sure what it is but that's where Wrath was. When he came here, he had my limbs."

Wrath nodded. It was easier to explain it that way. They didn't have to get into the messy human transmutation things with her.

"I can't say I understand all of it but I get the gist of it," she said with a nod.

The train began slowing down and a ding sounded, announcing their arrival. Riku picked up Sora and cradled him to his chest as Axel did the same with Roxas. Kairi grinned when she saw them.

"You and Axel are so similar, it's scary," Kairi told Riku as the seven of them made their way off the train and onto the platform.

"We are nothing alike!" Axel and Riku cried in unison.

Kairi giggled.

"You can set me down now," Sora said, pushing at Riku's chest.

Riku set him down, hand staying on his elbow when Sora's head span, threatening him with nausea again. Roxas looked up at Axel expectantly.

"I'm not setting you down," Axel told him as they followed Ed out into Central which was already bustling with activity.

"Fine then. I'll enjoy the free ride," Roxas said.

"So this Colonel Mustang," Riku started. "What's he like?"

"He's a bastard with a love of dogs and the most well known womanizer in Central," Ed grumbled, arms folded. "He's a pompous ass who only cares about getting promoted through the ranks until he becomes the Fuehrer and enjoys watching me squirm."

"Brother, don't say things like that," Al said. "He's your superior officer."

"I don't care! He's a bastard!" Ed cried as they headed into the Headquarters.

"Edward! You're back from vacation!" a voice shouted.

Ed looked up to see Maes rushing towards them. When the tall man reached them, he fixed his glasses and ran a hand through his brown hair, all the while pulling out a picture from the breast pocket of his blue uniform.

"Have you seen the latest picture of my darling Elysia?" the man gushed, displaying the picture of a cute little girl.

"She's so cute!" Kairi squealed, shoving Ed aside so she could get a better look.

"Who are your friends, Edward?" Maes asked, quickly going into business mode.

"Um…she's Kairi, Wonderweiss, Axel, Roxas, Riku, Sora, and Wrath. We need to report to Colonel Bas-I mean Mustang," Edward said, quickly catching his words.

Maes grinned. "Well I'll leave you to that. See you around Edward!"

Edward nodded and then led the others down a hallway, bursting into a room unannounced. The others filed in behind him.

"Why hello Alphonse," Roy said, looking up from the mound of paperwork he was correcting. "Where's your brother? I don't see him."

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT THAT YOU COULDN'T SEE THEM EVEN IF YOU GOT A MICROSCOPE!" Edward shouted.

"Brother, no one said anything like that," Alphonse said quickly, trying to calm him down.

Roy smirked, jerking his head to move black hair out of equally black eyes. Kairi stared at him, feeling a blush creep up her cheeks as Roy quickly scanned them all, his eyes finally resting on her.

"Well Fullmetal. I didn't realize you kept such gorgeous company," Roy commented, locking eyes with Kairi.

Kairi blushed further until Axel decided to ruin it.

"Why Colonel, I didn't realize you swung that way," Axel gushed, stepping in front of Kairi and giving him a smirk.

The cocky smile Roy had been wearing died and Axel returned to Roxas's side.

"Who are your friends, Fullmetal?"

"They know of the beings that have been attacking Central lately," Ed told him, motioning for the others to make themselves at home on the available couches.

Roy grew serious. "Alright. Talk."

Sora, Riku, and Kairi stood back up.

"We're the Keyblade wielders," Sora started. "Those beings that are attacking you guys are called Heartless. They're born from the darkness of people's hearts and go after the Keyhole. If they get to it, the world is consumed in darkness and all of you will die."

"But we can lock the Keyhole and prevent the Heartless from getting to it. All we need is free reign over every area of your world and we can lock it up," Kairi told him.

"Usually it isn't as simple as that though," Riku added. "Usually, the Heartless are already being controlled by someone who has sunk far enough into the darkness that they are able to control them. Then we have to take them out as well."

"And who are your suspects?" Roy asked, resting his chin on folded hands.

"Archer, Envy, Lust, Gluttony, and the Fuehrer," Riku listed off.

"The Fuehrer?" Roy exclaimed, not quite believing it.

"The Fuehrer is a homunculus!" Ed suddenly interrupted. "Wrath told me last night and I never told you guys. He's the homunculus, Pride."

Roy's eyes narrowed, focusing on Edward. "You are speaking treason right now, Fullmetal. I suggest you shut your mouth."

"It's true sir!" Wrath said, leaping to his feet. "I'm a homunculus myself but I've been helping Ed because…I trust him and he's treated me better than anyone else. But…Pride and Sloth are working with Dante to get the philosopher's stone!"

Roy got to his feet, gloved hands slamming down on the table. "You have no proof and until you do, I suggest you stop talking!"

"Roy," Edward said calmly, getting to his feet slowly and moving to stand directly on the other side of the oak desk. "I know what I'm talking about. Despite how much I hate you sometimes, I trust you. And I know you trust me on these things. Do you really think I would accuse the Fuehrer of being evil if I wasn't absolutely certain?"

Roy locked his coal gaze with the amber one. Edward stared into Roy's eyes, begging for him to understand that he needed to be trusted. If Roy turned him in for treason, it was all over.

"Fine. I'll back you on this, Fullmetal. But if this screws up, you are dead," Roy said quietly. "Now what do you want me to do?"

"Make us Alchemists," Kairi spoke up. "That's the only way to get free reign over everything, right?"

"How can I make you guys alchemist if you can't do alchemy?"

"We can do magic," Axel said, snapping his fingers and allowing fire to dance at his fingertips.

Roy's eyebrows rose. "Fire, huh? So can I."

Sparks shot from Roy's fingers, lancing towards Axel. Axel held his hand out, absorbing the fire and using it to recharge his wasted magic power.

"I have an idea," Roy said suddenly. "Can you guys use this magic on the spot?"

"No," Sora answered. "We have to channel it through our Keyblades."

"I don't have to because I'm a Nobody. At least I was," Axel explained. "We all have special powers. Mine is fire."

"I see. Then it will only work with him," Roy said quietly, reaching into his drawer and walking towards Axel. "Take off your gloves, I want you to wear these."

Axel did as he said, slipping snow white gloves onto his hands. An intricate design was etched in red on the back of the glove and Ed's eyes widened when he saw them.

"Mustang…aren't those _your_ gloves?" Ed asked.

"Yes. But the transmutation circles are incomplete. All he has to do is snap his fingers and pretend its alchemy," Roy said. "I'll set you up in a mock battle as your alchemy exam. You pass and then you're in."

"Wouldn't it look suspicious that someone has the same powers as you, and that you requested them?" Sora asked.

Roy frowned. "I didn't think of that. But we'll have to make do, it isn't as if we have anyone else we can trust right now."

"What about Armstrong?" Edward asked.

"He doesn't have the authority I do. It won't work."

"Alright, whatever. I'll be sure not to kill you," Axel said, getting to his feet as he slipped the white gloves on.

Roy smirked. "Don't hold yourself back. It wouldn't be any fun if you didn't."

Axel grinned the first real grin in a long time. "Oh this will be fun. Two pyros going at each other, huh? This will be explosive."

"Just what we needed, another Roy Mustang," Ed grumbled.

"I thought I heard a bee buzzing. I'm not totally sure though," Roy said.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL HIS VOICE DOESN'T GET ABOVE THE SOUND OF A STUPID BUG!"

"Brother no one…well actually…he did say something like that," Alphonse said sheepishly.

"Anyways, you're all dismissed. Except for you Fullmetal, and the homunculus," Roy ordered.

Ed's eyes narrowed but he nodded at the others as a signal that it would be alright. Once the door was sealed shut Ed turned back to Roy.

"What do you want?" he demanded. "Don't drag Wrath into this. He's on our side. You know that. I convinced you."

"True. But his limbs," Roy said. "They aren't matching."

"They're Ed's. But…he said he doesn't care and that we're friends!" Wrath told him, nodding his head firmly.

Roy's eyes widened fractionally. "Ed's? Then…"

"Mustang, it's too much to explain right now. We need to worry about those Heartless and getting rid of Pride," Ed told him, eyes deadly serious. "You know that."

"Of course," Roy said with a nod. "I'm going to inform Hughes and Armstrong about Pride. They aren't going to like it…"

"I'm sorry but it is the truth," Ed said quietly.

"I know. And as much as I hate to admit it, I trust you Edward."

Ed's eyes widened when he heard his name leave Mustang's lips, staring at him. Roy smirked and nodded as if to say he was proud. Ed smiled and then grabbed Wrath's arm.

"Come on Wrath. We've got to go find a place for everyone to stay."

Roy watched them leave. _Edward…if only you knew._

RERERE

_Later that night_

"Lust, what are we doing?" Gluttony asked as his large and pudgy form hobbled after Lust through the back alleyways of Central.

"We're going after Greed. I need to talk to him."

"About what?"

"Nothing important Gluttony. Just mind your own business and follow me. We're almost at his new hideout."

It was a in the backwash area of Central, the only entrance in a dark and wet alleyway lit only by a dim flickering light above the door. Scrawled in what looked like red paint but what Lust knew was blood were the word's Devil's Nest. She opened the door and stepped inside the thumping club, wrinkling her nose in disgust as she entered.

Music pulsed from speakers as several strippers danced on the brightly lit stage below her. The lower floor was filled with plain and boring men as was the top floor which they had entered on. She ignored the looks she received as she strutted through the upper floor to the stairs, taking her time as she walked down them, scanning the crowd for Greed. She spotted him towards the back of the room, sitting on a black leather couch, a scantily clad woman under each arm, a beer in one hand.

His eyes narrowed as she stalked through the crowd towards him, the people seeming to part before her, eyes widening first at her sleek form before fear entered their expression when they saw Gluttony. The two girls glared at her as Greed shooed them away, motioning for her to sit down as he gulped the rest of his beer down.

"So what are you doing here?" Greed asked as he ran a hand through brown hair in a half hearted attempt to fix it. "I didn't think women strippers were you thing."

"They aren't. I'm here for you," Lust growled, angry at his suggestion.

"Really now?" he mused, grinning. "I didn't know you liked me so much Lust. I was under the impression that you hated me."

"I do. But I need your help," Lust said, her expression still angry.

"Really now? And why is that?" Greed asked as another woman walked over, giving him another beer and moving to sit in his lap. He shoved her off, eyes still on Lust.

"I…don't want to follow Dante anymore," Lust admitted, looking away and fisting her hands in her black dress.

Greed smirked, leaning back and taking a swig of his new beer as he thought about what she said.

"So, you came to me because I've already broken away. You want me to protect you. Help you fight if you ever need to, am I right?" Greed asked.

Lust nodded. "I don't want to ask you because I-"

"You hate me. I know. You stooped so low to ask help from me," Greed sighed. "I guess I can't turn you away."

Lust visibly relaxed, all the tension draining out of her. Greed felt his expression soften and he moved to drape an arm around her shoulder, giving her a one armed hug despite the fact that he knew he was about to get-

"Ah!" he cried out, glaring at her and then down at the long black finger plunged into his thigh.

"Just because I'm asking you for help does not mean you can touch me," Lust hissed, retracting the offending weapon and shrugging his arm off. "Now where can I stay?"

As she spoke she stood up, arms crossed. Greed shot her a glare as his arms were soon occupied by two more women.

"My room is way in the back. Here's the key. Stay there until I come and get you two," Greed ordered, tossing her a key that seemed to appear out of nowhere.

Lust caught it easily and stalked away, Gluttony trailing behind her.

RERERE

Lust turned the key in the lock, opening the door at the end of a long hallway and leading Gluttony inside. She slammed it shut, locking it once more before flicking on the light. A large luxurious canopy bed was displayed by the dim overhead lights. There was a door on either side of the bed, one leading to what she presumed was a walk in closet and a bathroom. The left wall was covered in shelves, each one filled with countless CDs while the right wall was covered with thick books.

"He went over the top, didn't he Gluttony?" she asked.

"If Lust says so."

Lust's eyes suddenly caught movement to her left and she reacted instantly, spearing the shadow being as it rose out of the ground. How had she not seen it before? Quickly, she finished it off.

"Envy," she murmured. "He's tracking me."

"If Envy knows you're here, get out," Greed ordered as he walked in, shrugging off his leather jacket.

"I killed his spy. Don't worry," Lust said, watching as Greed sat down on the red comforter that covered the bed.

"Good. Now tell me, what made you want to leave Dante?" Greed asked.

"Like I'm about to open my heart up and tell you," Lust hissed.

"Gluttony, go to the room next door and don't eat anyone. Wait for us there," Greed ordered.

Gluttony obeyed without question.

"Greed!" Lust growled threateningly.

"Calm down for two seconds," Greed demanded. "I don't care about your god damn feelings! Just give me a reason why. Why are you becoming a traitor like me?"  
"Dante isn't going about this the right way," Lust sighed. "Maybe the pipsqueak made me go soft. I just-"

"Think the philosopher's stone can be made differently. Got it. That's all I needed to know. I could care less beyond that," Greed told her.

"Good, because I'd never tell you."

"Ugh, you're impossible."

'Sorry but I'm not a whore who will throw myself at you," Lust sighed, her tone bored. "You're far too plain anyways."

"You wound me. Am I not as good as your little freak show, Gluttony?" Greed asked.

Lust's violet eyes flashed dangerously and her fingers extended, stopping inches from piercing Greed's neck. "Gluttony cares about me more than anyone else ever could!"

"All he cares about is eating. Don't tell me you're actually sleeping with him. He's repulsive," Greed snorted.

"Shut up if you know what's good for you. Gluttony is the closest thing to family I have and I won't let you degrade him," Lust hissed.

"Calm down, I'm teasing."

Greed looked at Lust as the fingers retracted, surprised when he saw tears willing violet pools. _Didn't mean to do that,_ he thought. He considered comforting her but decided an apology was best.

"Sorry. Didn't know he was so damn important," he grumbled.

"Just tell me where I can stay," she ordered.

"Just pick a room and lock the door," he instructed.

Lust was gone before anything else could be said.


	27. Chapter 27

The next morning, Roy showed up at their hotel, waiting for the nine of them to emerge from the tall building.

"What're you doing here, Mustang?" Ed demanded.

"I'm your superior, Fullmetal, try and act like it," Roy ordered before turning to the others. "I've arranged the mock battle for later this afternoon, if you don't mind."

Axel nodded. "Sure, whatever."

"Fullmetal can show you the way. We'll be fighting in the basement of Central," Roy informed him.

"Have you talked to Hughes and Armstrong yet?" Ed asked.

"No. I was planning to this morning. I've already informed Hawkeye," Roy said. "I'll see you at the match."

With that, he strode away. When he was safely out of hearing range, Ed spoke.

"Lazy bastard," he grumbled. "It's important that those two know!"

"Brother, we should be thankful he trusts us in the first place. I mean, after all, we did destroy South Headquarters saving Wrath who was under military protection. It seems a little like treason but he trusts us anyways," Alphonse argued.

"I don't see why you hate him," Axel admitted. "He's awesome."

"You're going to whoop him in the match today, right?" Roxas asked. "If you don't, you will no longer be the most insane Pyro."

"Axel will always be the most insane pyro," Riku sighed. "So what do we do now?"

"Explore I guess," Sora said with a shrug.

Axel knelt down and allowed Wonderweiss to hop up onto his back, piggy back style. "Sure, why not?"

"Just stay on your guard," Ed ordered. "Meet me at the entrance to Headquarters at two."

"Sounds good. We'll see you!" Sora called before grabbing Riku's hand and running off down the street.

RERERE

Greed woke up when his door opened, jolting up and throwing the covers off of him and onto the floor. Kimbly shut the door behind him as he worked his long black hair into a ponytail.

"The first time I've ever walked in here and there wasn't a girl with you," Kimbly commented. "Amazing."

"Eh, Lust showed up. She put me in a foul mood," Greed muttered.

"She has got one hot body," Kimbly said, leaning against the wall as Greed stood up.

"Heh, don't go near her. She'll chop your head off," Greed snorted. "Did the others get back from the mission I gave them?"

"Marta did. She said Envy slaughtered the others," Kimbly told him nonchalantly. "She said he's using some sort of new weapon. Apparently there were some weird shadows that pulled themselves out of the ground and attacked them. Don't know what she's talking about but, whatever."

"And you? Did you find where the Fullmetal pipsqueak was?"

"Just returned to Central yesterday morning. Had some interesting companions with him and apparently there's going to be some sort of battle today at Headquarters. A fake battle to determine if some new hot shot is going to be an alchemist," Kimbly continued. "I can get you in, now that Archer let me back into the military."

"Still pissed that you didn't get the kid," Greed growled, walking over to his closet and flicking on the light, disappearing inside it.

Kimbly moved to sit on the bed as he spoke. "Well now I can give you inside info on the military and Fullmetal. And to top it all off, guess who's with him?"

"The tooth fairy," Greed drawled, walking out with a change of clothes, shutting the door with his foot.

"Nope. The kid. Wrath," Kimbly told him, grinning. "So you want to go now?"

"Of course. Go get me a uniform or something," Greed ordered.

"You don't mind using one of mine, do you?"

"I don't care if it's off a dead body, just get me a uniform," Greed growled.

Kimbly stood up, smirking. "Right, boss man."

RERERE

"Someone is eager to be alone with me," Riku mused as he and Sora walked side by side down the sidewalk.

"What can I say, we haven't had a chance lately. Everything has been crazy and we haven't had a chance to just relax," Sora said as the neared a park. "Not since we were at Hollow Bastion."

Riku smirked when he saw Sora blush as he remembered it. He leaned over and gently kissed Sora's cheek before moving to pin him to a nearby tree, kissing his lips softly.

"I don't know what came over me then," Riku whispered, nuzzling Sora's jaw with his nose. "But I can honestly say I wouldn't mind a repeat."

Sora smiled gently. "Neither would I but we're sort of in the wrong place."

"So I'll just cuddle you instead," Riku told him, sitting down and tugging Sora down beside him.

Sora sat and rested his head on Riku's shoulder gratefully. "I can't wait until we get done with all of these worlds. Then we can go back to the islands for good."

"Sora?"

"What?"

"I don't want to go back to the islands," Riku admitted, his arm sneaking around Sora's waist to pull him closer.

"Why not?" Sora asked, startled by the declaration.

"After all of this…I don't think I can just go back and slip into a normal life like you and Kairi can," Riku sighed.

Sora didn't respond, thinking about what Riku was saying and realized that it was true for him. Maybe he could've after the first journey but after three? Now that Riku had pointed it out, it would be impossible to go back to school and try and be normal when he knew he wasn't.

"You're always thinking ahead, Riku. I never do," Sora said.

"Then you're lucky you have me around, huh?" Riku murmured, moving so he could cuddle right into Sora's side, curling up.

Sora smiled. Usually it was him doing the cuddling but now it was Riku acting uke-like.

"Does this mean I get to be the seme?" Sora teased.

"Don't be stupid," Riku snorted, moving to bite at Sora's neck.

Sora shuddered when he did, gulping as he flushed. Riku sucked the bitten skin into his mouth and licked it several times before releasing it, letting the cool air wash over it.

"Riku…we can't do this here."

"There's no one here," Riku assured him, planting several kisses along Sora's neck and then moving to his lips.

Sora let his eyes slip close, giving into what Riku was offering. _Well…no one's watching and Riku…tastes so good…_Riku held back his surprise when Sora moved closer, dominating the kiss and fisting his hands in Riku's shirt, groaning into the kiss. He was surprised by the dominance but couldn't help but actually like it. Sora pinned him to the ground then, moving to his jaw and nipping along the skin and then moving down his neck, enjoying the whimpers he had actually managed to draw from Riku.

"Not that I'm complaining, but could you guys do that somewhere else?" Axel sighed as he and Roxas walked up.

Sora rolled off of Riku hurriedly, blushing bright red as Axel smirked. Riku remained cool however.

"Where's Wonderweiss?"

"Kairi took him and Wrath to go clothes shopping. She thinks they need better clothes," Axel said with a shrug. "It might be a good idea for me to do the same."

"Yeah, you do stand out in that trench coat," Riku teased as Sora gathered his wits about him.

Axel shrugged. "I'll go later. But it's almost two. We should start heading for the Headquarters."

"Kairi and the others can catch up later," Roxas added.

"Sounds good," Riku said, standing up and helping Sora to his feet.

"Uh…right."

RERERE

"So that's the hotshot, huh?" Greed mused as he and Kimbly worked there way to the first row of seats in the small arena in the basement of the Headquarters.

"Yep."

Greed watched as the flame haired man tugged on white gloves, snapping his fingers experimentally and letting sparks dance on his finger tips. Small triangle tattoos were visible on the pale face and bright green eyes stood out clearly.

"What's his name?" Greed asked.

"Axel, I think," Kimbly answered with a shrug. "I don't think he's an actual alchemist though. I mean, we've never seen him before and I got a look at the gloves earlier. The transmutation circles on the gloves aren't completed."

"So he's using some other power and for some reason Mustang is allowing him to fight him in a mock battle to become an alchemist. This is weird," Greed muttered.

"So what do you want to do then?" Kimbly asked, eyes darting around as the small arena filled up with men and women in blue uniforms.

"For now, we watch. Later…I'm going to check him out. I think he might be a homunculus."

RERERE

Axel watched as Roy tugged on his own gloves, smirking as he did so. There was a table to the far right of the arena where the Fuehrer Bradley was sitting. To be honest, his first impression on the man wasn't that good. The scarred man made him feel uneasy and the eye patch didn't help at all. So yeah, he was used to Xigbar but this…this was different.

"So, are you ready?" Roy asked coolly.

"To beat you, yes," Axel answered, grinning widely.

"When you're ready, begin!" Bradley ordered.

"Burn baby!"

Axel snapped his fingers and sent fire lancing towards Roy. Roy neatly spun on his heel to avoid it, snapping his own fingers and sending several attacks at once. Axel weaved around each of them, closing in slowly. Roy jumped back to avoid Axel getting to close, all the while sending lances of searing fire at Axel only to have the red haired man dodge smoothly and send his own attack straight back at him.

"Wow, you're weaker than I thought," Axel crowed, once again dodging another attack as he gathered more fire in the tips of his fingers, contemplating his next move. He ducked under another attack and then whipped his hands out as if he were going to summon his chakrams. Instead, fire shot out of his hands, creating a wall to surround both himself and Roy. Roy's eyes narrowed as he watched Axel back up closer and closer to the towering wall of heat.

"What are you planning?" Roy muttered.

"I can't tell you that," Axel said, smirking once more before suddenly disappearing.

Axel resisted laughing at Roy's expression of surprise as he walked among his flames, wondering where he should strike Roy first before pulling another disappearing act. He decided to attack his back, lunging from the flames and tackling Roy from behind, taking him completely by surprise and pinning him to the ground, letting the flames around them die to display that he clearly had Roy beaten.

"Yeah! Who's the loser now!"

Axel rolled his eyes, recognizing Edward's voice in the stunned silence of the rest of the army.

"Well," Bradley said, smiling. "You have clearly displayed your amazing talent as an alchemist. I don't think I'll have any arguments in accepting you into your ranks."

Axel grinned, letting Roy up and dusting off his hands, realizing in slight shock that he had accidentally burned them off. Quickly, he slipped his hands into his pockets so no one would catch onto the fact that he hadn't been using alchemy.

"So I'm in?" Axel asked, biting his lip to keep back his large grin of excitement.

"Yes."

RERERE

"Definitely a homunculus," Greed said with a nod as he watched Axel's companions come down from the stands to congratulate him.

"So what do we do?" Kimbly asked.

"You're in the military aren't you? Well so is he. Tell him you have something interesting to show him. Take him to Devil's Nest and I'll talk to him there."

"Whatever you say Greed," Kimbly sighed. "You should leave though, before the pipsqueak recognizes you."

"I'm not stupid. Just do your job."

RERERE

"Man, Mustang was so pissed!" Ed exclaimed as they headed back towards the hotel. "Way to show him!"

"Brother, that isn't a very nice thing to say," Alphonse objected.

"Hey, you," a voice called.

The group turned around to see a man walking towards them. He wore the military uniform pants but instead of the whole uniform, he wore a white tank top, displaying muscular arms. Long black hair flowed out of a ponytail and golden eyes quickly scanned them over, settling on Edward.

"Kimbly," Edward growled. "What do you want?"

"Oh nothing important really. Run along little pipsqueak," Kimbly said, waving his hand dismissively.

"Yeah right," Ed spat.

"Fine then. My business doesn't concern you. It concerns him," Kimbly told them, pointing at Axel.

Axel's eyes narrowed. "What do you want?"

"I've got order to take you to the Devil's Nest tonight. I'll be by your hotel to take you there. If you don't show up, I'll force you," Kimbly explained, smirking as he spoke.

"Fine," Axel agreed.

"Axel!" Roxas cried.

"On one condition," Axel continued.

Kimbly sighed. "Fine, let's hear it."

"My friends come with me."

Kimbly mulled this over in his head, flicking over the group once more. Greed would not like this many _kids_ tramping into his club. At least Axel looked twenty or so.

"Three of them," Kimbly said. "That's it."

"Fine by me. We'll wait for you outside the hotel."

"Be ready by ten," Kimbly ordered before turning around and sauntering away.

"We can't trust him! He tried to kill Al and I!' Ed cried. "He tried to take Wrath and-"

"He works for Greed," Wrath interrupted. "Greed isn't…evil…well he is. But he doesn't want to kill you, Ed. He just wants to capture you to piss Envy off."

"Like that's any better," Ed muttered.

"I'm taking Roxas for sure," Axel suddenly said.

"And me," Riku stated. "And Sora."

Axel shrugged. "Works for me."

RERERE

"Stupid Greed," Envy hissed, punching a nearby tree and making it shatter. "It's not like I want to hurt him. So why does he keep pissing me off?"

After killing off Greed's followers he had sent a Heartless after Marta in an attempt to find out where Greed was hiding only to have it be killed by the snake girl a few minutes later. The one that had followed Wrath hadn't come back so he assumed that one was dead as well. To top it all off, Lust and Gluttony were off doing whatever and he had a strong suspicion that they were betraying Dante.

"They're all traitorous bastards," Envy grumbled. _You said you'd come back to me Greed…when you were free. You said you'd come back! Never again will I trust you._

RERERE

"Okay, so, no fighting unless you have to, if you can run away, do so, no spending any munny on useless things, if there's beer don't drink it and-"

"Kairi!" Sora interrupted. "You're acting like a worried mother, honestly. We're going to be fine."

All nine of them were gathered in one of the hotel rooms as Axel, Roxas, Sora, and Riku got ready to leave.

"Be on your guard. Greed is…greedy," Wrath told them. "He might trick you into giving him something."

"Thanks for the warning little man. We'll be fine," Axel told him.

"Be safe," Wonderweiss said, chewing his lip.

The four left the room, heading down the stairs and out into the cold air of the night. Kimbly was already there, smoking a cigarette as he waited. Once he saw them, he tossed it onto the ground.

"Alright guys. Follow me," he ordered, turning on his heel and walking into one of the alleyways.

Kimbly rolled his shoulders as he walked in an attempt to make the red suit fit better. It was new and a bit small so he felt cramped in it. But he had to look good for his entrance to the club seeing as how it was the second time he had showed up during the show hours. Greed hated it when he came because for some reason, he was always able to get more girls than Greed.

When they arrived at the door, Kimbly turned to face them. "Alright, first a few ground rules. All girls are off limits to you. No starting fights and do not look at Lust's chest."

"We're all gay," Axel stated nonchalantly.

Kimbly's nose wrinkled. "I see. Well, the rules change then. No grabbing my ass."

Kimbly turned around and kicked the door open, satisfied when the noise of the door hitting the wall rang around the pounding club, successfully drawing attention to himself. In seconds he had a girl under each arm, turning back to look at the others.

"Follow me boys," he called over the steady bass of the music.

"My god, I've never seen so many whores," Axel commented as they followed Kimbly around the top floor to the sleek black stair case.

"My innocence is being killed," Sora muttered in Riku's air, resisting the urge to look at the strippers.

"Don't look Sora," Riku snickered, growing solemn when Kimbly stopped in front of a couch, sitting down beside a man and motioning for them to stand in front of them.

Sora watched as the brown haired man shooed the four women away as Kimbly glared at him. The man peeled off his shades, handing them to Kimbly before flashing them a grin, surprising them with shark like teeth.

"Hey there," he said. "Name's Greed. How do you like the place?"

"They're gay," Kimbly told him, coughing as he did so.

Greed shrugged. "Then how do you like me?"

"I'm taken," Roxas snapped. "Pervert."

"Can't deny the truth," Greed said, shrugging again with the same grin. "How about we take this somewhere quieter. Kimbly, go find Lust and tell her to join me in my room. You four, come with me."

Greed stood up, grabbing a beer out of some girl's hand as he led them down a hallway, the music dying as they traveled further away from the main room. They reached the end of the hallway and Greed unlocked the door, leading them inside as he clicked on the light.

The four of them scanned the room as Greed sat down on the edge of his bed, taking a swig of his beer.

"Alright. So…you, the red head. You beat Roy Mustang," Greed started.

"Yeah, so?"

"Well, you weren't using alchemy," Greed pointed out.

Riku's eyes narrowed. "So what are you trying to say?"

"Answer me one question. Are you a homunculus?"

"Um, no," Axel answered. "Not even close buddy."

"Can we trust him?" Sora whispered to Riku.

Riku didn't answer, staring intently at Greed before speaking. "You're a homunculus, right?"

Greed nodded as he took another sip. "Yep."

"But you don't work for this…Dante person," Riku continued.

"Of course I don't. I hate that bitch," Greed grumbled.

"Do you know what Heartless are?" Riku asked, weighing his options in his mind. If they could recruit this man, that would be great. From his impression on both Kimbly and Greed he figured they were both strong.

"Yep. Envy was bragging about these new creatures they had discovered before I ditched him," Greed sighed. "What about them?"

"We want to get rid of them," Riku said, finally deciding that they could trust the man.

Greed suddenly grinned. "So you're telling me you want to get rid of Envy, Pride, Sloth, Dante, and these freaky Heartless things?"

"Essentially, yes," Riku answered. "Although I did hear Ed talking about a Lust and Gluttony."

"What about me?" a sultry voice said from behind them.

They whirled around to see Kimbly leading a tall woman into the room, shutting the door behind him as he did so. The woman was dressed in a black leather dress that reached her ankles and hugged her form tightly. Black gloves stretched up to her elbows and long wavy black hair covered the left side of her face, the visible violet eye staring at them.

"Lust and Gluttony are with me," Greed said. "I'll help you. Kimbly and Marta will to. Lust and Gluttony can do what they want."

"What are you talking about?" Lust demanded, striding past the group and moving to stand beside Greed.

"They want to get rid of Dante and stop those freaky shadow things. You in?"

Lust mulled this over in her head before nodding. "Alright. Sure."


	28. Chapter 28

"This is getting crazy," Riku sighed as he and Sora entered their hotel room.

"It is. We have to ask Ed about who Dante is tomorrow. It's all just so confusing to me," Sora agreed, sitting down on the edge of the bed and flopping down on his back. "We should take a break from all of this after we find the Keyhole here."

"We can't do that. Xemnas is still on the loose being the crazy freak that he is," Riku said. "Probably plotting on how to kill us as we speak."

"Dying…has never really entered my mind before," Sora admitted as Riku sat down by Sora's head. "I just…always think I'm going to make it out okay. I guess that makes me a little cocky but…it just seems like everything will always be okay."

Riku stretched out beside Sora, thinking over what he was saying. "It does seem like that, now that you mention. I never really thought about actually dying before. But now that I do, it kind of freaks me out."

Sora turned to look at him. "I don't want to die in battle. I don't want to die fighting this off."

"I wouldn't let that happen Sora. You know that."

"But I don't want to live if you die for me," Sora said, chewing his lip nervously as he spoke. "I couldn't go on knowing that you died to save me when I should've been strong enough to save myself."

Riku suddenly straddled Sora's waist, staring down at him. "I wouldn't hesitate even a second to sacrifice myself for you and I know you wouldn't hesitate either."

Sora twirled his arms around Riku's next, leaning up to hug him tightly, pressing his face into the pale neck. "I love you Riku. I know I've said that before but I just need to tell you again."

Riku halted what he was saying by suddenly grabbing his chin and kissing him forcefully, pinning him to the mattress and invading Sora's mouth with his tongue. Sora felt the burning need rise up in him again, just like when they were at Hollow Bastion, and groaned into Riku's mouth, moving his tongue against Riku's. Riku's lips moved to his earlobe, nibbling it before moving down his neck to his collarbone, kissing the flesh there before slipping his hands beneath Sora's shirt, tugging it up.

Sora was surprised at the bold move but lifted his arms so that he could be stripped of his shirt. He heard it land on the ground but paid it no mind, instead arching into Riku's touch as the hands drifted over small nubs, tweaking them both once before letting his hands roam over the rest of his chest and stomach.

"Riku…" Sora murmured. "I…this is too much right now. I just…"

Riku nuzzled his neck. "Shh. I know. I'm going to go get ready for bed. You do the same. I'll come to bed."

Sora shifted to kiss Riku's forehead and then moved away as Riku stood up. He tugged his shirt back on. He watched as Riku disappeared into the bathroom before standing up and quickly changing into borrowed bed clothes, slipping beneath the covers and turning out the light. In less than a minute, Riku was back, easily finding his way in the dark to the bed, slipping in beside Sora.

Sora immediately curled into his side, sighing in contentment. Whenever he was a way from Riku, even if only for a minute, he felt as though he was missing something important and he wouldn't feel whole again until Riku was back. With these thoughts, he drifted into sleep.

RERERE

"Are you serious?" Axel demanded.

"You're the one with the Alchemist License. That means you're researching," Sora told him.

The nine of them were at breakfast the next morning at a nearby café.

"I'll go with you, if that makes you feel better," Roxas offered.

"Me t-too," Wonderweiss said firmly.

"So what are you guys going to be doing?" Axel asked, finally resigning to his fate.

"Greed is going to tell us where Dante lives," Riku answered. "That and we'll be getting the full story on who she is too."

"So basically you guys get to go kick ass while I waste away in the library?" Axel grumbled.

"Axel, there's probably information in that place about possible places the Keyhole might be. I can't sense it at all. Wherever it is, it's too far away," Riku informed him. "So please just do this without whining."

"Alright, alright. Still don't think it's fair."

"We'll be with y-you," Wonderweiss told him. Thanks to Roxas and Axel, his speech was finally improving.

"And that's what makes it better," Axel said, grinning.

"I still don't trust Greed," Ed voiced. "Or Lust or Gluttony."

"He only wanted to kidnap you to make Envy mad," Wrath pointed out. "He doesn't want you now."

"But he does want you," Ed countered. "He wants you on his side."

"Technically I am," Wrath said with a shrug. "I'm with Sora and the others and they're with Greed. So I am with him."

Ed sighed. "Yeah, I guess. Just be careful."

"So who else is staying behind?" Axel asked. "Because we can't protect Central from Heartless if we're in the library."

"Usually, we can handle the Heartless," Ed said. "But for some strange reason, there haven't been any attacks in a couple days."

"Which is weird," Sora started. "Because usually they're after our Keyblades."

"So someone is controlling them and for some odd reason, they don't want them attacking us," Riku finished.

"We can take care of the Heartless," Ed told them. "Al, Wrath, and I can handle it just fine while you're gone."

"Sounds good then," Riku said. "So that's the plan. Kairi, Sora, Greed, Gluttony, Lust, and I will head up to this Dante's place and wipe her out and anyone else who is working with her."

"What do we do about Sloth and Pride?" Wrath asked. "They're here. You'll only have to deal with Dante, Envy, and Hohenheim."

Ed suddenly paled. "Did you say Hohenheim?"

"Yeah, why?" Wrath asked.

"Why didn't you tell me!" Ed shouted.

Wrath cowered away from him, shocked by the anger. "I didn't know it was important, I've only seen him once with Dante."

"Brother, you're attracting attention. Please calm down," Alphonse begged.

Ed squeezed his eyes shut, taking a deep breath as he attempted to calm himself down, resisting the urge to punch something.

"Hohenheim is our father, Al," he hissed, staring at the table.

"Whoa, talk about a family feud," Axel snorted.

"Axel!" Kairi scolded.

"Our father?" Al asked, his voice slightly confused.

"Yes. Our bastard of a father who left with out an explanation. And now I find out he's been working with Dante and the homunculus?"

"Wrong," Wrath interrupted. "Hohenheim came to talk with Dante. Envy got upset and tried to kill Hohenheim but Pride restrained him and we haven't seen him since. I think he was trying to stop Dante."

Ed was silent. "We have to find him. I need to just punch his face in."

"Brother-"

"Al, not a word. You don't remember him but I do. He made Mom happy and then he left!"

"Who is Dante anyways?" Riku demanded. "No one ever told us."

"For some reason, she wants the philosopher's stone too," Ed sighed. "I don't know why. I just know she's some old lady who controls the homunculus, somehow."

"She switches bodies using the philosopher's stone," Wrath answered. "She says she'll use it to make us real again."

"You're like us," Roxas said quietly. "You just want to be whole again. Which reminds me, Riku. You asked Sora and Kairi about Rezen. We've forgotten all about him but he's obviously a Nobody."

Riku's eyes widened. "Shit! We forgot all about him!"

"Rezen…" Wrath murmured, frowning in thought. "I think Envy mentioned the name at one point."

"I can't believe we actually forgot about that…" Sora muttered.

"Who the heck is Rezen?" Axel demanded.

"We don't know," Riku answered. "But apparently, he taught someone on the first world we went to how to use Heartless."

"So this Rezen guy probably taught Dante and Envy how to control the Heartless," Edward said. "And to create a philosopher's stone…you need to kill humans. A mass number of humans, at least an entire city."

"So they're going to use the Heartless to kill everyone in Central," Wrath said, eyes widening.

"But why haven't they yet? Ed said that the Heartless have been attacking them for awhile," Kairi said.

"Power corrupts people, Kairi. It's fun to just experiment with it," Riku said quietly.

_**And you would know that all to well, wouldn't you?**_

_Ansem…please shut up._

_**Just pointing out the truth.**_

__"There's something else," Kairi said, breaking into Riku's inner torment. "If it's only Dante and Envy that we're going after right now…why do we need six different people?"

"Homunculi are powerful," Ed answered. "You'll want all the help you can get."

Kairi shrugged. "If you insist."

"Well, I guess this is where we all part then," Riku said, standing up with Kairi and Sora.

"Good luck you guys," Ed told them.

"Same to you."

RERERE

"Colonel, what are you going to do?" Riza asked quietly as Roy filled out his paperwork. "If the Fuehrer is really a homunculus-"

"I don't know. We still have Archer and Scar to deal with. I have no idea what Archer is planning or why he's in Risembool either. Scar is…who knows where," Roy muttered, a frown creasing his features.

"Well we can't have the Fuehrer calling the shots! He wants a philosopher's stone and you know Edward said the only way to do that is to-"

"Hawkeye. This is not the time to discuss it. We will do as the Fuehrer orders until I come up with a plan," Roy ordered sharply. "Now go find Fullmetal. I want to know what he's doing."

Riza opened her mouth to say something else but closed it quickly, saluting. "Yes, sir."

RERERE

"So how old are you guys actually?" Kairi asked as she, Sora, Riku, Greed, Kimbly, Lust, and Gluttony tramped through the forest and up towards Dante's.

"Eh…over 140 years or so," Greed said nonchalantly.

"Only about fifteen," Lust answered.

"Lust…can I have food?"

"Not now, Gluttony."

"So you guys don't age," Sora stated. "That would be awesome. It's like you could live forever."

"No one lives for ever, kid," Kimbly grumbled.

"Feeling sore because you can't be Greed's little servant forever," Lust taunted, smirking when Kimbly's eyes narrowed.

"Shut up. I work for no one. I'm here because I want to be!"

"Both of you shut up," Greed ordered. "We're almost at Dante's."

As he spoke, the trees broke, revealing a large mansion. _You're in there somewhere Envy. Time to come out and play._

RERERE

"Damn it," Envy growled. "They found us."

"You thought they wouldn't?" Dante asked, strutting forwards to join him by the large window.

"I just didn't think they'd guess we were hiding right near Central. Then again, Lust did betray us. I'll go kill her myself," Envy muttered, pushing away from the window and looking at Dante.

Dante fixed her black hair before turning to look at him. "I'll just stay here."

"Yeah, wouldn't want to hurt your new body," Envy sneered, whirling around and stalking out the large room, slamming oak doors behind him.

RERERE

"Whoever this Dante is, she's loaded," Sora commented as they headed into the main hall.

The floor was pure marble and before them was a giant stair case with a red rug down the middle, golden tassels on the corners. The door at the top of the stairs was made of dark wood and as the seven of them scanned it over the doors began to creak open.

Once they were open, all seven pairs of eyes widened. Envy stood at the top of the stairs, glowering at Greed with a deadly glare, violet eyes seeming to glow. Long green hair spilled around a bare stomach, the slim purple material only covering his chest. "Greed…" Envy hissed.

Greed shoved the others out of the way, pulling off his sunglasses and tossing them to the ground.

"Good to see you again, Envy," Greed said emotionlessly.

"Oh don't lie, you bastard!" Envy growled, slowly starting down the red stairs.

"Greed," Kimbly muttered. "You can't take him on yourself. Let us help."

"Yeah right. This is my battle. And Envy knows this. The rest of you go on to Dante," Greed ordered.

"But the Heartless," Sora started.

"No," Lust interrupted. "He's right. This is between them. We need to keep moving."

"I'm staying with you," Kimbly snapped.

"Fine but stay out of the fight," Greed sighed.

"Oh, I see I've been replaced. I'm so _jealous!_" Envy screeched, his anger practically radiating off of him. "I'll destroy you both!"

"Come on!" Lust ordered, racing past Greed and Envy, the others right behind her. Sora gave Greed and Kimbly a worried look before shutting the doors tightly behind him.

"Look Envy…you know that-"

"Shut up! I don't want to hear your damn excuses!" Envy shouted. "You left me! You left me and then betrayed Dante! You have to die!"

"She locked me up," Greed said calmly. "Not like it was my choice. And just for the record, Kimbly is not my new toy. He's straight."

"Whoa…Greed…you're gay?" Kimbly asked, slightly shocked.

"Heh, surprise, surprise," Greed chuckled. "So let's do this Envy. I'll destroy you."

Envy snapped his fingers, the ground around him becoming flooded with what looked like black shadows. Slowly, the shadows pulled themselves out of the ground, surrounding Greed easily and locking Kimbly out.

Greed sighed and then shrugged off his leather jacket, tossing it to Kimbly before holding his arms out, letting his Ultimate Shield overtake him, the hard navy skin over taking his entire body. The Neoshadows attacked then and he stood there, eyes locked with Envy's as the Heartless continued to batter away at him despite the fact that no damage was being done.

"You can't hurt me with these Envy! Attack me yourself. You know you're the only one who can," Greed taunted.

"Bastard!" Envy shouted.

He lunged towards Greed, drilling a fist at Greed's face. Greed ducked and then slammed a hand into Envy's stomach only to have Envy's foot snap into his kneecap, breaking past his ultimate shield with his strength.

_Why is Greed provoking him? Does he want Envy to kill him?_ Kimbly thought.

Greed stifled his grunt of pain, seizing Envy's arm and tossing him away. Envy flipped through the air neatly, landing on his feet before lunging again, his feet a blur as he lashed out at him with his feet. Greed weaved in and out, dodging each hit with practiced ease.

"I haven't had a fight like this in a while," Greed said. "And let me tell you, it is enjoyable!"

"Shut up!" Envy growled as his foot hit Greed's forearm. He bunched up his muscles and flipped back, landing on his feet and crouching down. "I hate you. You need to die. And you will!"

"Why do you want to kill me Envy? Just think of all the pleasure we had when we were together," Greed cooed, smirking when Envy's face contorted with pain.

"SHUT! UP!" Envy wailed, springing up and slamming his fist into Greed's chest, jumping into the air and snapping his foot into Greed's neck, sending him sprawling across the floor.

"So, did you find anyone else while I was locked up against my will?" Greed asked as he got to his feet.

"No! I thought when you got free we would be together but no! You left!" Envy shouted.

"Really, and here I thought you would get with Lust. She is hot," Greed said. "Hotter than any whore I've been with."

Envy's eyes flashed with a more intense anger. "I know you aren't straight Greed, no need to hide behind petty whores who can't give you pleasure. I bet you have moved on, but the feeling is unrequited, right?" Envy smirked when Greed winced. He had hit the nail on the head. "I wonder, what is his name, Greed?"

_They're tearing each other apart…_Kimbly thought. _Emotionally at least. Despite what Greed acts like…he isn't that strong as far as emotional stability goes. Then again, who is?_

"Shut up Envy," Greed hissed. "Leave him out of this."

"Hey, alchemist," Envy drawled, looking over his shoulder at Kimbly. "Did you know that Greed here has been in love with you?"

Kimbly's eyes widened. "What the hell?"

Greed seized Envy's distraction, drilling his fist into Envy's cheek and sending him crashing to the floor. Envy turned over on his back, glaring at Greed. Kimbly stood up.

"Greed…"

Greed didn't look at him, turning towards Envy and jerking his neck, cracking it as he got ready for the fight to continue.

"Greed!" Kimbly barked.

Envy grinned. And here's where Greed broke down. As if on cue, Greed's Ultimate Shield vanished, revealing his skin and his real face again. He watched as Greed turned to face Kimbly.

"Yeah, Envy's right. Disgusted?" Greed asked, a half hearted grin trying to cross his face.

Kimbly didn't say anything. _So…Greed…womanizer of Devil's Nest…is actually gay, and he's in love me…wow…_"Well if this just isn't awkward."

Envy's eyes narrowed. He was hoping the Kimbly guy would freak out, reject Greed. If he did, Greed would be crushed and then he could finally kill him, ending his own pain forever.

"Kimbly…"

"Hey, save it Greed. We'll talk about this later. I don't know what I think right now but…just kill the dude and we can talk this out later," Kimbly said.

Greed nodded, eyes locking with Kimbly's. "Later than. I promise there will be a later."

Kimbly smirked.

RERERE

"Will he be okay?" Sora asked as Lust led them through the twisting hallways of the mansion.

"Who knows? If he doesn't survive, it means he wasn't strong enough," Lust replied simple, sliding to a halt when she reached the end of the hall, two other halls branching off from the one they were traveling. "Dante is down one of these. The right leads to her room. It's the very last door if you keep heading straight for awhile. The left leads to the largest hall in the building."

"So who takes what one?" Riku asked.

"We'll take the left. You three take the right," Lust ordered.

With curt nods, the group split up.

RERERE

"Well isn't this just sweet!" Envy growled, getting to his feet.

"I'm not going to kill you," Greed stated. "Kimbly, toss me a knife."

Kimbly shrugged, pulling out one of the knives he kept on him for emergencies. He tossed it to Greed who snatched it out of the air.

"It's not like you could anyways," Envy sniffed. "My body's remains aren't here. But yours are. Dumb move to give me that finger bone of yours." Envy reached into the pocket of his purple shorts, dangling the bone between his forefinger and thumb.

Greed shrugged. "Let's do this, shall we?"

Envy grinned before sprinting full out towards Greed. Greed readied himself and then snatched a hand out, seizing Envy's wrist with one hand, flicking his wrist and sending the knife right into Envy's homunculus seal in his left thigh.

Envy screeched as the knife sunk into the tattoo, collapsing to the ground. "How dare you?"

Greed crouched down by his head. "I told you. I'm not going to kill you."

Envy's eyes shut tightly. "Bastard. Just end it."

"I can't. I don't have your body's remains and I would never do that anyways. You do mean a lot to me, despite what you think," Greed told him quietly.

Envy's eyes flew open. "Don't toy with me. I know you don't. You've moved on."

Greed seized Envy's chin. "You can't move so that means I don't have to worry about getting hit for this."

"Wha-"

Greed's lips cut off what he was going to say and Envy tensed up, his first reaction being to shove Greed away, only to realize he was partly paralyzed by the knife in the tattoo. His eyes slid close then and he kissed back, sighing at the familiar and warm taste. But then Greed's lips were gone.

"That's a good bye kiss Envy," Greed said, patting his cheek. "Come on Kimbly. I've done what I wanted to do. We can leave the others."

"What about Dante?" Envy hissed. "She can take on Lust and Gluttony."

"The other three aren't from here. She's underestimated them," Greed said, not looking at him. "Let's go, Kimbly."

"Right."

RERERE

"So you're in love with me, huh?" Kimbly asked as they walked back towards the Devil's Nest.

"Yep. No use in hiding it now," Greed sighed.

Kimbly stopped walking and Greed turned to face him. "You know, I've never been with a guy before. They don't interest me. But…let's give it a try, hm?"

Greed stared. "You're serious right?"

"You're a big softy on the inside, aren't you?" Kimbly asked, smirking. "Yes, I'm serious. Now kiss me."

Greed closed the space between them, sealing his lips firmly over Kimbly's and kissing him furiously, pinning him to one of the trees. _Hm…being dominated is kind of a turn on,_ Kimbly thought as Greed's warm tongue invaded his mouth. He fought back half heartedly before pulling away.

"Taste good," Kimbly commented.

Greed rolled his eyes, pulling an extra pair of shades out of his pocket. "Let's go, Kimbly."

"Alright lover boy."

RERERE

"I hate this job," Axel groaned as Wonderweiss brought him another stack of books.

"It needs to be done by someone and you're the only one who can get us into the library anyways," Roxas sighed.

Wonderweiss sat down on the other side of Axel, grabbing one of the books and opening it, staring at the words intently. Axel glanced at him curiously. _I wonder if he actually understands what he's reading,_ he thought before going back to his book.

Several long minutes passed in this fashion and Axel felt himself growing more and more bored. He was sure he now knew all the basics of alchemy as well as a good chunk of the history of Amestris. Sighing, he closed the book and set it on the ground, pulling the next one off the pile and opening it up, resting his head on his fist.

"Axel," Wonderweiss said quietly, poking Axel's side.

"Huh?"

Axel turned to look at him but Wonderweiss thrust the book in his face, pointing at a paragraph frantically. Axel took the book and Roxas leaned over to read it as well.

"Over one hundred years ago, Central collapsed and sunk beneath the ground. It is unknown what happened because there weren't any survivors. A new Central was built on top of the old one and a search crew was sent beneath the ground to investigate the cause. There were no survivors from the trip. One of the members of the search crew made it half way back to the surface but was found dead. His camera had several blurry pictures recorded and can be found on page 789," Roxas read.

Axel hurriedly flipped to page 789, eyes widening at what he saw. "Roxas…is that what I think it is?"

"But that means they've been here for over one hundred years. So why isn't this world gone yet?" Roxas muttered, scanning the blurry photos over again.

"Who knows? So what do we do?"

RERERE

Lust wrenched the door open and rushed into the large hall, eyes narrowing when she saw Dante staring out the large window, back turned to them. She wore a slim red dress that stopped mid calf. Small black shoes covered her feet and a black jacket hid her arms from view.

"Dante," Lust hissed.

Dante turned around, a small smile on thin lips as dark violet eyes seemed to mock her. "Look who has decided to turn traitor."

"There has to be another way to create the philosopher's stone," Lust objected. "We shouldn't have to kill so many people for this!"

"What happened to you, dear Lust?" Dante cooed. "I thought you would sacrifice anything to be real again."

Lust glanced away. "Not anymore I won't. And neither will Gluttony."

"Can you really fight me?" Dante asked, reaching into the pocket of her jacket as she continued to come closer. Lust trembled when Dante pulled out a locket, holding it before her. "Feeling weak, Lust? That's because this contains a locket of your hair. You can't fight me like this."

Lust fell to her knees, her shaking intensifying as Dante grew closer.

"My Lust! You hurt my Lust!" Gluttony shouted, charging at Dante.

Dante pulled out something else, throwing it at Gluttony with a flick of her wrist. It hit Gluttony in the head and clattered to the ground next to him. It was a skeletal hand. Gluttony froze, unable to move. He was too close to his real body, just like Lust was.

"You two really seem to be begging me for death, you know that?" Dante cooed, kneeling beside Lust.

Lust sucked in a deep breath and then extended her fingers, whipping the dagger like fingers at Dante's hand, seizing the locket on one extended finger and tossing it towards Gluttony.

"Eat it Gluttony!" Lust ordered.

Gluttony extended a beefy hand shakily, picking up the locket and popping it in his mouth, swallowing it in one gulp.

"NO!" Dante shouted, whirling away from Lust as Lust got to her feet. She clapped her hands and slammed them into the ground.

Lust didn't give her a chance to complete the alchemy, whipping her dagger fingers forward to slice at Dante viciously. Dante dodged with a swiftness that seemed abnormal and Lust quickly added her other hand to the mix. Just then, the doors were thrown up and Sora, Kairi, and Riku rushed in, surveying the situation quickly.

Lust retracted her fingers, turning towards them. "Dante can use alchemy at high speeds. Attack quickly and don't let her use any alchemy!"

Riku was the first to react, sprinting across the ground and rushing towards Dante, summoning Way to Dawn as he did so. Lust resumed attacking, impressed that Dante was still able to dodge. Dante clapped her hands together again, pressing one to the fabric of her dress. A slit appeared along the left part of her leg and she now gripped a red colored whip in her hand. She quickly created another, using one to knock away Lust's attacks and the other to attack Riku.

Sora rushed forward to help and Kairi lingered by Lust.

"What's wrong with Gluttony?" she asked.

"He's near his real body. But don't move the hand. If he comes near me I'll get weak," Lust said, hissing when Dante successfully severed one of her fingers.

Blood washed onto the ground but Lust refused to stop attacking, instead trying to speed up her movements. Kairi did the first thing that came to mind. She preformed a Curaga spell and Lust watched as her finger suddenly healed, faster than it would've taken if she let her body heal on its own.

"You're handy. But you should worry about your friends," Lust ordered.

Kairi glanced at Sora and Riku, hurriedly performing another spell when she saw their blood washing onto the ground from numerous wounds.

"Thanks Kairi!" Sora called. "Hey Riku?"

"Kind of busy Sora!" Riku grunted.

"I'm going into Final Form. Get ready," Sora ordered.

Riku jumped away as Sora closed his eyes, stopping completely and letting the change wash over him. Kairi let out a squeak of surprise before she vanished. Lust stopped attacking when she saw both Riku and Kairi disappear, her surprise increasing when she saw that Sora was now glowing with silver light, a white Keyblade in one hand, a black in the other.

"Alright Dante! I can only hold this form for so long, let's make this quick!" Sora ordered.

"Can you really kill me, boy?" she growled as she tossed the whips away, clapping her hands together and slamming them into the ground. She pulled two marble swords out of the ground and lunged at Sora.

Sora blocked each of her hits easily before sending Oblivion into her shoulder, sinking it in firmly before spinning Oathkeeper once and plunging it into Dante's chest. He kept his gaze firm as Dante's eyes widened. She choked and Sora ripped his weapons out of her, backing away as she coughed up blood. Lust seized her opening, swiftly decapitating the woman's head without a second thought.

Sora looked away and released the Final Form, allowing Riku and Kairi to reappear. Riku took one look at Dante's dead form and then rushed over to Sora as Kairi stood up and moved to stand next to Lust.

"Are you okay?" Riku asked quietly.

"Fine," Sora answered. "After doing it once, it's a little easier the second time."

Riku nodded and then turned to Lust and Kairi. "So what now?"  
"We need to burn Gluttony's human hand. Then I have to carve out my locket from his stomach and we can burn that," Lust instructed.

"Won't he die?" Kairi cried.

"Homunculi don't die," Lust sighed. "We can heal ourselves but if we're by our real body we can't."

Sora walked over to Gluttony and picked up the skeletal hand, tossing it away in disgust before casting Firaga, destroying it completely.

"Feel free to look away," Lust said, stepping as close to Gluttony as she could without growing weak. "Just hang on Gluttony. This is going to hurt."

Kairi looked away and plugged her ears as did Sora and Riku. Gluttony's cries of pain still wormed their way into their ears but once they stopped Kairi quickly cast Curaga, healing Gluttony as best she could before turning around.

Lust had fallen to her knees, the locket still connected to her extended finger. Riku approached her slowly, not minding the blood he had to walk through before picking the locket off of her finger, tossing it to Sora. Sora quickly burned it as well and Lust stood back up, wiping the blood on her fingers onto the ground.

"Let's go. We should head back to Central," she said.

"Right," Sora agreed.

RERERE

"We should go find Roy or Ed," Roxas suggested. "See if they know about any openings to this place."

"Alright, sounds good. Let's go," Axel ordered, grabbing the book and walking in the direction of the front desk. "Take care of the other books. I'll be waiting outside."

Roxas and Wonderweiss quickly took care of the other books and rushed to join Axel who was finishing checking the book out. As they headed outside into the bright light, they discovered finding Ed wouldn't be too hard.

"Hey, Ed. We hit the jack pot," Axel told him.

"That's great. So why do you look so serious?" Ed asked, halting in front of them with Al and Wrath on either side of him.

"Because it's been there for over a hundred years. The Heartless have been here but they haven't invaded the Keyhole at all. It seems they're protecting," Roxas answered.

"Where is it?" Al asked.

Axel sat down on the steps, flipping the book open to the page with the pictures as the others sat down around him.

"These are the pictures taken I'm guessing fifty years ago. There was a Central below this one that collapsed with no survivors. This Central was built on top of it. But a search party went down. There were no survivors but they were able to retrieve these pictures."

Roxas examined the pictures again. The first was a grainy but among a sea of countless houses was a small clear area. The keyhole was there, right in the center. It was large and dark but several Shadows and Large Bodies surrounded it, their attention turned towards the camera, eyes glowing menacingly.

The second picture showed a gigantic beast made of darkness looming near the very back of the city, its large yellow eyes piercing the darkness. The next picture showed the beast much closer and several humans running from it, towards the camera man. The final picture was nothing but a gigantic blob of darkness and a single beady yellow eye.

"What is that?" Ed asked quietly, pointing to the large beast.

"It's a Darkside. It's an extremely powerful Heartless, one of the strongest," Roxas answered. "To think it hasn't destroyed the Keyhole in a hundred years."

"It certainly is strange," Ed agreed. "Have the others returned yet?"

"I don't think so," Axel replied. "But we were going to head to the Devil's Nest to wait for them."

"Sounds good. We'll stop by later," Ed said.

RERERE

"Well you've gotten yourself in quite a fix, haven't you?"

Envy whipped his head around, glowering at the intruder. "Rezen…just get the knife out!"

The man stepped forward, his face hidden by the hood of a black cloak. He knelt beside Envy, tapping the knife with his finger. "I don't know why I should."

"You-"

"Calm down. This world is a failure and is not helping me at all with my plans. So I'm leaving," Rezen told him, yanking the knife out of his thigh. "Do what you like."


	29. Chapter 29

"Where are the others?" Ed demanded.

Devil's Nest was empty due to the fact that it was still day so Greed and Kimbly lounged on one of the couches as Ed, Al, Wrath, Roxas, Axel, and Wonderweiss stood before them.

"Dead or on their way back," Greed answered nonchalantly.

"You didn't stay to help them?" Axel hissed, seizing the front of Greed's leather jacket and jerking him forward.

"Easy, easy," Greed said, forcing Axel to let go. "There were five of them. They can easily take on Dante."

"What about Envy?" Wrath asked. "He had those Heartless and-"

"Ultimate Shield, idiot. Heartless do nothing. And what do you think I was doing? I completed some unfinished business with Envy," Greed told them. "That's the only reason I went along in the first place."

"So as long as you get _your_ business done, no one else matters?" Roxas demanded.

"Selfishness and greed go hand in hand," Greed said with a shrug.

Axel moved to punch the smirking man but Kimbly caught his fist easily.

"I suggest you stop now before I turn you into a human bomb," Kimbly said coolly.

Axel jerked away. At that moment, the door on the top floor burst open and one by one the group trekked in, heading down the stairs to join the rest of them.

"You guys look like you've seen better," Ed commented, his amber gaze sympathetic.

Sora gave him a weak grin. "Tired. But Dante is dead."

"Well that's great. Now we only have to worry about Pride and Sloth," Al said.

"And the Keyhole. We know where it is," Roxas spoke up.

"Where is it?" Riku asked.

"Beneath Central," Axel answered. "The Heartless are _guarding_ it."

"How can you be sure?" Kairi asked.

Wonderweiss passed the book to her. "P-page 789."

The three keyblade wielders examined the pictures as Lust spoke up.

"We couldn't find Envy. What happened?" she demanded.

"Weird. I stabbed him in the seal. Guess he got away," Greed mused, shrugging.

"He's the enemy!" Lust hissed.

"He won't be attacking us anymore, trust me," Greed assured her, relaxing back in the couch and yawning once.

"You better be right," Lust sniffed.

"This is insane," Riku said. "Why would they _protect _the Keyhole?"

_**You forget, people could be controlling them,**_Ansem pointed out.

_Someone who's been alive for one hundred years?_

_**Nobodies don't age. Perhaps Rezen has something to do with it.**_

As if on cue, Sora said, "What about Rezen? Or even Xemnas? What if for some reason this world interests one of them?"

"That is a possibility," Roxas agreed. "So they don't want anyone going near the Keyhole and accidentally screwing everything up."

"So what do we do now?" Ed asked.

"You should deal with the other homunculus," Greed suggested. "They're going to be pissed when they find out what happened to Dante. They'll probably just go all out on you guys and everyone in Central."

"I'll go talk to Mustang then. We can handle the homunculus if you guys head down for the Keyhole," Ed told them.

"Who's staying up top then?" Axel asked.

"You guys will need a healer, so I'll stay up here. Riku and Sora have potions," Kairi said.

"I'll go with Riku and Sora," Roxas spoke up.

"Which means Wonderweiss and I are going too," Axel added.

"So that leaves, me, Kimbly, Lust, Kairi, Gluttony, Ed, Wrath, and Al to take care of the others," Greed said.

"I want to go with the others beneath the surface," Wrath said.

"We'll need all the help you can spare. If there's enough room for one Darkside down there, I wouldn't be surprised if there were more," Riku told them. "How do we get down there anyways?"

"Search the book some more," Roxas suggested.

Wonderweiss grabbed the book from Kairi and sat down on the ground, flipping it open and instantly scouring it over.

"He reads fast," Axel explained as Wonderweiss flipped through the pages at high speeds.

"Obviously," Greed said.

"Found it," Wonderweiss spoke up. "H-here."

He held the book up to Axel, pointing to another paragraph.

"The entrance to the underground Central was in the basement of Central Head Quarters but has been sealed off to prevent anyone else from going below," Axel read aloud.

"Locks have no meaning to us. We can get by easily," Sora said confidently.

"I'll talk to Mustang and see if he can get you guys in. The basement can't be accessed by just regular state alchemists," Ed told them. "So, I'm off. I'll meet you guys back at the hotel."

"You guys can stay here. I've got spare rooms in the back and you won't have to come out once everything opens. Won't cost any money," Greed said.

"Sounds good," Riku agreed.

RERERE

Roy looked up when a knock came at his door. Breda moved to open it and Ed stepped through, Al lingering in the hallway.

"Everyone out," Roy ordered firmly, locking eyes with Ed.

Riza ushered the others out of the room, shutting the door behind her. Ed locked it and moved to stand on the other side of Roy's desk.

"Dante has been taken care of. Kimbly and Greed are now working with us. So are Lust and Gluttony. Envy has disappeared. The Keyhole is beneath Central and the Keyblade Wielders as well as Wrath are going down below to take care of it," Ed said, quickly and mechanically.

"Which leaves us and the other homunculus to take care of Pride and Sloth," Roy said, calmly signing another paper and moving it off the pile before switching back up to look at Ed.

"Yeah."

Everything was silent then, neither knowing what to say though the feeling that something needed to be said lingered in the air.

"Are you okay Fullmetal?" Roy asked.

"I have to fight my mom," Ed said quietly.

"That thing is not your mom," Roy growled harshly.

"I know that!" Ed cried. "But…she's my mistake and I have to take care of her. That I know you understand."

"If you thought she wasn't your responsibility I would have to hit you," Roy said.

Ed looked down. "Will you be fighting Pride?"

"Naturally. If I get rid of him, I can probably take his place as exposing him as a homunculus," Roy said simply. "I can skip all of the levels in between and achieve my dream."

"Is that all you care about!" Ed shouted, head whipping up to glare at Roy. Roy met his amber glare with a cool and collected obsidian gaze. "You probably don't care if people die for your cause, do you? What if Falman died? Or Breda, Havoc, or Fuery? Riza? Armstrong? Maes? It probably wouldn't matter to you at all, as long as you got your position!"

"You have no idea what you're saying Edward. You don't know me as a person, I am only your superior. You do not realize why I am doing this and you do not realize that as impossible as it seems, I do have emotions!" Roy growled, getting to his feet. "So don't talk like you know me."

Ed drew back, surprised at the furious glare Roy was giving him, but more surprised by the other emotion he saw swimming in the coal depths. Sorrow. For the first time, he found that he couldn't be angry at Roy.

"I'm sorry," Ed muttered, looking down. "I don't know you at all."

"That's right. You don't…"

Silence reigned over them for several tense minutes, neither moving, neither speaking. Finally,

"Would you like to?"

Edward glanced back up at him, eyes widening. "What do you mean?"

"Would you like to get to know me…as a person and not your superior?" Roy said quietly, unsure if he was actually saying what he had been dying to ask Ed for over a year.

Once again, silence took over the room for over a minute. Finally, Ed gave a tentative nod.

"Afterwards. After all of this," he said.

"You better live Full…Edward," Roy told him.

Ed nodded.

RERERE

"So…how did you join the others?" Wrath asked, tilting his head to look at Wonderweiss better.

Wonderweiss looked up from the thick book Greed had let him borrow. Wrath had peeked over his shoulder earlier, wondering what was so interesting about it only to find that he couldn't read half of the words they were so complex.

"They killed T-Tousen. No one else t-to go to," Wonderweiss told him, shutting the book.

"Who was Tousen?" Wrath asked curiously, folding his legs beneath him. Both he and Wonderweiss were sitting on the hard wood floor of one of the rooms.

Wonderweiss frowned, chewing his bottom lip. "He…I liked him a lot. He taught me a lot of stuff."

"Why did he die?" Wrath asked, not noticing Wonderweiss's rising distress.

"H-he w-was protecting m-me," Wonderweiss mumbled, looking down.

"What's wrong?" Wrath wondered, noticing the increase of stuttering.

Wonderweiss shook his head and Wrath moved closer. It was then that he heard the small sniffles and then realized that he had made the other boy cry.

"I'm sorry," he apologized quickly, unsure of what to do. He was unsure of how to comfort the boy and finally settled on hugging him, feeling awkward as he did so.

Wonderweiss leaned his head on Wrath's shoulder, falling into the embrace willingly. It had been so long since he had felt the same warmth as he had felt when Tousen would hold him close whenever he had nightmares.

"I loved him," Wonderweiss said quietly, curling up.

Wrath didn't say anything, instead feeling a hole in his chest. Would he ever be able to have real emotions?

RERERE

"Are we really going to fight Pride and Sloth tomorrow?" Kimbly asked, turning to look at Greed.

Both men were sitting on the normal black leather couch but for once, not a single woman was near them. It was an odd sight, seeing as how it was commonplace for the two men to have a woman to sleep with each night but now they refused to let anyone sit down by them, a silent commitment to one another hanging in the air.

"Nah, I don't think so. Pride and Sloth aren't my business. I dealt with Envy, that's all that mattered to me," Greed sighed. "I'll tell the others later."

"You're so dependable," Kimbly said, sarcasm lacing his voice.

"Hey, move," Lust ordered as she stalked over to them.

Greed sighed, moving closer to Kimbly, dropping his arm around the other man's shoulders as Lust and Gluttony quickly took their seats.

"What's up?" Greed asked.

"I wanted to know if you guys were fighting tomorrow," Lust said, folding her legs.

"Nope," Greed answered. "I dealt with Envy, that's all I needed to do. You?"

"I was going to, I mean they've helped us so much so far but…I don't know. I just want to leave, find a place to settle down," Lust sighed. "I know I can't be with anyone but…it would be nice to just have a normal life for once."

"We can never be normal, you should know that," Greed told her. "You'd have to change towns once they realized you weren't aging."

"Yeah, I know."

"And Gluttony?"

Gluttony tilted his head to look at the three of them curiously.

"I'll take him with me," Lust said. "Hopefully over time I can curb his appetite of human flesh."

"Heh, good luck with that," Kimbly snorted.

Greed smacked him in the head, eyes ordering him to keep his mouth shut. Kimbly took one look at Lust's glowering eyes and decided that Greed's advice was good, quickly looking away from Lust and opting for looking at the stage.

"So who's going to break it to them that we're flaking out?" Kimbly asked.

"I'll do it," Lust offered, standing up as she did so. She ushered for Gluttony to follow after her as she made her way to the back rooms.

Once she found Sora and Riku's room, she knocked on the door, waiting patiently for the door to open.

"Oh, hey Lust," Sora greeted, smiling at her.

"I just wanted to tell you…none of us are fighting tomorrow. Greed has done his business and I have done mine. Gluttony follows me and Kimbly follows Greed. I'm sorry," she said, not giving him a chance to respond.

Sora stared at her for several seconds. "Alright then. Thanks for letting us know, I guess."

"Thank you…Sora. You've helped us come to terms with the things we needed to. I feel like I'm not making it up to you properly but…"

"Don't worry about it. I've been doing this for three years now. Helping people is pretty much my job," Sora said with a grin. "Hope everything works out for you."

"Thanks. You too," Lust said, giving him a small smile. Then with a small wave, she and Gluttony vanished down the hallway.

RERERE

"So they're leaving us then?" Riku asked as Sora joined him underneath the covers again.

"Yep. I'm not going to make them fight. They've had enough pain in their lives and I don't want to make them do something they don't want to," Sora said, cuddling into Riku's side.

"You're so nice. I think you're too good for me sometimes," Riku admitted.

Sora sighed. "We've been over this. You deserve me and I deserve you. We love each other so nothing else should matter."

Riku nuzzled the mass of brown hair. "You're always right. I can't fight you."

"Of course not."

RERERE

The next morning found Ed, Al, Wrath, Axel, Roxas, Wonderweiss, Riku, Kairi, and Sora all crammed into Mustang's office. Roy's coal gaze shifted over them and then focused on Ed.

"Alright Fullmetal, what's the situation?" he asked.

"The homunculi aren't fighting with us," Ed announced. "But that's okay. Axel and Wrath have agreed to stay behind and help us. The other five are going down below."

Roy didn't say anything, instead attempting to get a hold of his anger. Finally, he said, "So you just let them get out of it?"

"Actually, I did sir," Sora said, grinning sheepishly.

Roy sighed. "You might be even more of an idiot than Breda. Anyways, we'll manage somehow."

"Sora's not an idiot," Kairi said, eyes narrowed. "He's just really nice, nicer than you could be!"

"Sorry, but I really don't feel like being a carefree idiot," Roy countered easily.

"Roy," Riku started.

"No, it's fine," Sora interrupted. "Let's just talk about how we're going to do this."

Roy nodded. "Pride is holding a party at his house tonight. Naturally, I'm invited so-"

"Cocky bastard," Ed said, smirking.

Roy continued without glaring at the shorter. "Somehow, I'll get him alone and roast him. It'll be tough sneaking Axel in but he is a State Alchemist which will help. Sloth will be there."

"So how do we get to her? Al and Wrath aren't State Alchemists and I wasn't invited," Ed said.

"Leave that to me. Just wait outside the estate and I'll get her to you," Roy assured him. "Do you trust me?"

"Yes."

Al turned to look at Ed, surprised at how fast the response came from Ed's mouth. He mentally shrugged it off.

"Good. So…Sora, Riku, Kairi, Roxas, and Wonderweiss," Roy continued, "are going down below. How are you getting there?"

"The only entrance is in the basement of Central Headquarters," Riku told him. "We'll sneak in once we leave."

"Why sneak? I'll get you in," Roy said, getting to his feet. "Or at least past the rest of the military."

RERERE

"So…you have no idea how far below this other city is?" Roy asked as they headed down yet _another_ set of stairs.

"Nope. That's why we want so much time," Sora told him.

"Alright then. Here's the basement," Roy said, stopping in front of a large steel door with a heavy black padlock keeping it sealed shut. "It's locked, obviously. I'll leave you here. I got you passed every one in the military, the rest is up to you."

"That's all we can ask for. Thank you," Sora said nodding his head once.

Riku tapped the padlock with Way to Dawn once and the padlock unhooked itself, falling with a clunk to the ground. He turned and smirked at Roy. "Lock it behind us."

Riku, Roxas, Kairi, and Wonderweiss slipped through the door. Sora moved to follow after them but Roy's hand on his arm stopped him.

"As much of an idiot I think you are, you're nice and I'm jealous. Never lose that," Roy said quietly.

"Thank you, Roy," Sora said, giving him his usual bright smile. Then he vanished after the others, closing the door behind him. Roy quickly fixed the padlock before heading back up the stairs, silently wishing the others luck.

RERERE

"This basement is creepy," Kairi said, glancing around the small room the door had opened up into.

There was a single light hanging from the ceiling in the center of the room, revealing a gigantic door on the other side of the room, barely five feet away. Riku moved closer to examine it, startled to see heavy black chains horizontally crossing the door, thick locks in the middle of each one.

"You guys ready?" Riku asked.

Roxas let Wonderweiss slide his small hand into his bigger one and then nodded. Sora and Kairi nodded as well so Riku tapped each one of the locks, watching as they fell with identical clanging sounds. Sora moved towards him, grabbing the handle and helping Riku pull the heavy door open. Roxas led the other two inside, followed quickly by Sora and Riku. Once the door shut, they were plunged into absolute and total darkness.

"Okay, now this is even creepier," Kairi said, seconds away from hyperventilating.

"Hold on," Riku ordered. "Sora, Roxas, help me look for a light or something.

Sora began feeling along the wall, discovering that the walls were dirt, just like the floor. His hand clenched around what felt like a metal container. He slid his hand up and found wood.

"There's a torch here but the wood might not light," Sora called. "Let me try. Fira."

He touched his Keyblade to the wood, grinning when it lit.

"Awesome," Roxas said, lighting the ones near him. Kairi noted he was using Bond of Flames and then glanced at Sora to see he was using Oblivion.

"I'm going to summon Mushu to light the ones further down, okay?" Sora asked.

"Go for it," Riku told him.

"Come on our, Mushu," Sora ordered, pulling out the charm.

"Where's the enemy? Let me at 'em!" The voice belonged to a small, red, snake like dragon.

"No enemy, Mushu," Sora said with a laugh. "I need you to light all the torches you can."

Mushu gave him a mock salute with a scaly claw. "I'm on it!"

Mushu dashed away, lighting the torches as he went before vanishing around a bend.

"That w-was cool," Wonderweiss said, giggling a little bit.

"Yeah," Roxas agree, not really paying attention before following after Riku with the others.

"There's a notable slant downwards," Riku announced as he walked beside Sora. "I'm guessing this is a lot deeper than I thought."

"Ten miles," Wonderweiss said. "I r-remember reading it."

"Ten miles? That's really far!" Kairi exclaimed.

"We'll manage," Sora said determinedly.

"Without food?" Riku asked skeptically.

"Wonderweiss made me take some," Roxas told them. "Why do you think I'm lugging this backpack around?"

"To be honest," Sora said, grinning, "I didn't realize you were."

Riku snorted and Kairi giggled. Roxas just sighed and rolled his eyes. They continued on in silence, the mood growing more and more depressed. Sora lost track of time and the five of them had cleared one water bottle out of five as well as eaten about a half of the snacks Roxas had brought along. At some point, Mushu returned, reporting he had gone all the way to a big city that was all lit up, just like a city at night.

_I have a feeling that this isn't going to be easy…how would the city still have power? Was electricity even invented back then? _Riku thought.

_**Well we'll find out, won't we?**_

_I guess so._


	30. Chapter 30

Roy finished buttoning up the last part of his suit and then shook his arms out to make it fit better. Next he pulled on his trench coat, covering everything up successfully, before pulling on a hat to shield his face from view. He didn't want to be recognized in Devil's Nest where Axel and the others were currently residing. Roy Mustang would not be caught in a strip bar. It was unacceptable.

As he walked outside, he cast a worried glance at the night sky. The clouds were dark and the air was humid. "Dammit," he growled. Rain was bad. If the battle carried outside, he would be powerless. Axel would still have power, or so he thought. If his power wasn't alchemy then there was a good chance other elements wouldn't have any affect on his fighting power.

And then there was Ed. Edward Elric, the boy he had been strangely attracted to ever since he had become a State Alchemist. It wasn't until later he realized what the attraction was and became scared, ashamed that he let such feelings, as twisted as they were, would not fade away. So instead, he'd have to deal with it and possibly, act on them. Of course, that would have to wait until later.

He turned down the alley, surprised to see Ed, Wrath, Axel, and Al leaning against the wall.

"Hey, Colonel Bastard," Ed greeted. "We decided not to make you walk in there. It would've ruined your reputation."

Roy smirked, tilting the hat up. "Thought you were too small to handle a reputation as big as mine."

"Don't you mean your ego?" Ed shot back easily.

"Let's just go," Axel sighed, pushing away from the wall. He was dressed in a dark navy suit, a matching tie standing out against the crisp white shirt beneath the jacket. The black tattoos beneath his eyes stood out against red hair and pale skin, matching cat eyes gleaming with mirth.

"You clean up nice," Roy said.

"It's Kimbly's. He's bigger than me, so it's a little loose but it'll work," Axel said with a shrug.

"Yeah, I noticed you looked a little skinny, almost like a bean," Roy told him, smirking. Just as expected, Ed burst into a rant.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A BEAN YOU UNEMOTIONAL BASTARD!" Ed shouted.

"Brother, he wasn't talking about you," Al said, giggling.

Roy chuckled. "He's right ed. You've taken your ability to hear something and turn it into something else completely different to a whole new level."

"Let's just go," Ed grumbled.

RERERE

Roy parked the car a street away from the entrance of Pride's estate. The five of them quickly got out of the car and Roy locked all of the doors as Ed came around to face him.

"Don't die, Colonel Bastard," Edward said, eyes kind despite his words.

"Thanks Shorty. Same to you," Roy replied with a smirk.

He held his hand out for Edward to shake. Ed stared at his white gloved hand for several heartbeats. Then he grinned, slapping Roy's hand away.

"See you later, Roy."

RERERE

"Are they playing elevator music?" Axel asked, nose wrinkling in disgust when they entered the main hall of Pride's mansion.

"It seems so," Roy muttered, gazing around as he took his coat and hat off.

State Alchemists and regular military officers alike milled around the room, murmuring voices reaching his ears.

"Roy! I've made it my goal tonight to get you a wife!" Maes cried, crossing the floor towards him and slinging an arm around his shoulder. He was dressed in a pure white suit with a mint green tie.

"Hughes…Give it a rest!" Roy shouted, glaring at the eyes that drifted towards them.

"Fine, fine. Hello," Maes said, turning to Axel. "Helping out the Colonel tonight?"

Axel nodded. "You?"

"Once the fire starts, I evacuate the dear party goers," Maes told him, voice hushed.

"Fire?" Axel asked.

"Well, with both of us something is bound to happen. Now if you excuse me, I'm off to speak with Miss Douglas," Roy said, slowly drifting towards a brown haired woman.

She was dressed in a simple black dress, a matching jacket closed tightly around her shoulders. Her blue gaze turned to look at him and she smiled, raising a hand to brush her hair away.

"You look stunning, Miss Douglas," Roy complimented. "I'm not surprised though. Your beauty has always caught my eye."

"Why thank you, Colonel."

"Now, there's something I wish to show you, hopefully before it rains. Always hated it and I don't want you to get wet," Roy told her.

"Oh that's very nice," Sloth said, wrapping her arm around the one Roy offered.

He led her across the floor, stalking past Maes. Maes gave him a quick glance and then turned around to face Armstrong. Armstrong gave him a short nod to indicate that he had seen the Colonel leave.

"Edward is out there, right?" Armstrong asked, his usually booming voice hushed and quiet.

"Yeah. I don't know why he's letting Edward deal with his own mother though," Maes said quietly.

"Are you doubting the Colonel?" Armstrong asked.

"Of course not. Roy knows what he's doing. He'll do what's best."

RERERE

Ed tensed as he heard Roy's voice coming closer and closer. He, Al, and Wrath were waiting in the trees that surrounded Pride's estate. They had watched as Roy and Axel passed through the iron gates and lingered outside, sprinkling rain splattering in fat drops on their heads. Edward moved his blond hair off his neck, squeezing it to get rid of the water. Instead of his usual braid he had it held in a simple ponytail by a leather band.

_I suppose I do trust him,_ Ed thought as the pair's footsteps became audible. _I mean, he's been watching my back, even though I don't like to admit it. And he was able to get Sloth out here. _

"Why Fullmetal, any reason you're sneaking around the Fuehrer's estate?" Roy asked as he and Sloth broke through the trees in front of them.

"Eh heh heh," Edward laughed nervously. "Funny story about that…"

"Roy Mustang, I know why you took me out here. You all die now!" Sloth said, her arm turning to water.

The water ran down Roy's arm and soaked one of his gloves and he leapt away, eyes narrowed.

"Fullmetal, it's up to you now!" Roy shouted, sprinting back towards the estate.

"Not so fast!" Sloth shouted, whirling around and sending her watery arms lashing towards Roy.

Wrath sprung into action, blocking the water and letting the water wrap around him tightly. Sloth tossed him aside and then turned her whip like arms towards Ed and Al, lashing out at them. Nimbly, they both leapt aside.

Wrath hit the ground, falling back when his foot hit a rock and cried out when the sharp edge of the stone sunk into his heel. When he fell to the ground, he tried to stand up, finding that he couldn't. Fearfully, he turned his gaze to look at where the stone was lodged. It was directly in his seal.

"ED!" he shouted. "My seal!"

Edward shot a glance towards him and then rushed towards Sloth, clapping his hands together and turning the metal of his auto mail arm into a blade. He slashed at Sloth only to find his blade sink through water. She no longer looked like his mother, instead just a human shaped mass of water.

Before she could attack, he rushed towards Wrath, yanking the stone out as he ran by and then turning around to knock away the fast moving whips of water. Al was handling himself just fine, moving surprisingly fast for being a suit of armor. As the three continued to dodge, Ed reached into his pocket, pulling out the finger bone he had dug up from their mother's grave. If he got this close enough, she wouldn't be able to move.

It was easier to fight her, now that she no longer resembled his mother. He sliced one of the water arms away, distracting her momentarily before rushing forwards, plunging his flesh hand into the water, dropping the bone in his hand. Everything froze then.

The water became flesh and Ed yanked his hand away, breathing a little easier when he realized that he had trapped the bone inside her, rendering her completely motionless. She stared at him with blank purple eyes, words dying on her lips as she tried to speak.

"Brother…what are you going to do now?" Al asked quietly, already knowing the answer.

"We have to get rid of her now, Al. She's our sin," Ed said, his voice barely audible. "Sorry."

He clapped his hands together and then touched her flesh. When he had first met Greed, they had fought and he had discovered the way to get past his ultimate shield. All he had to do was change the chemical make up of Greed and his shield would be destroyed. It wouldn't have been possible if Greed was human, but he wasn't and neither was Sloth. Sloth was made of water. So all he had to do was turn her into something that would evaporate into the air.

She radiated green light as he drew his hands away and he looked away, unable to watch. Al didn't look at her either, instead looking directly into Edward's eyes.

"What did you do?" he whispered.

"I turned her into ethanol. She'll evaporate on her own now," Ed said quietly, suddenly feeling very drained.

Al nodded his understanding. Wrath moved over towards Ed, glancing at where Sloth had once stood. The only thing left was a single finger bone which lay abandoned and stark white on the ground.

"So what now?" he asked.

"We wait. Pride is Roy's battle. Roy needs to defeat him. We can't help," Ed told them, sitting down.

Al and Wrath joined him.

"So we wait."

RERERE

Riku's nose wrinkled in disgust. The scent of darkness was overpowering by now, masking the little bit of the Keyhole he had been able to smell completely. They had been walking for a long time and had reached another corner.

"The city is just on the other side of this. We should rest," Riku told them, sitting down.

"How can you tell?" Roxas asked.

"I can smell the darkness," Riku answered as the others joined him on the ground. "This entire place is cloaked in it."

"So what's the plan?" Kairi asked.

"Run and try and get to the Keyhole before the Heartless decide to tear us apart," Roxas answered.

"Seems like the best idea to me," Sora agreed.

"If the Heartless do attack…w-what do I d-do?" Wonderweiss asked.

"Fight," Roxas answered. "I know you can. Axel told me that you saved him back before I got my body back."

"I-I don't remember," Wonderweiss mumbled, looking down at his hands.

"You don't?" Sora asked. "Really?"

Wonderweiss shook his head. "It just sort of h-happens…"

"Let's just try and do this," Riku ordered. "Ready?"

Sora got to his feet and the others quickly scrambled to do the same. "Let's go."

RERERE

Roy emerged back into the mansion, his nerves fried. Was Ed okay? Was he dying even as he rejoined the party? Was he really making the right decision?

"Hey, Roy, calm down," Maes ordered, putting a hand on the other man's shoulder. "You look like you're hyperventilating. What happened?"

"I left Ed to fight Sloth alone," Roy muttered. "I have to do my job now. Where is the Fuehrer?"

"He headed down to the wine cellar a few minutes ago," Axel reported, appearing behind him. "Let's go, Colonel."

Roy nodded before shaking his head to clear it. "Get them out, Maes."

"Good luck," Maes said quietly.

Roy and Axel headed away from him; both appearing relaxed as they headed to where the wine cellar was. Roy had been here before and knew that the wine cellar was in the basement, far away from the party and completely sealed off.

"Ed will be okay," Axel told him, almost as though he sensed Roy's unease. "Trust me. He reminds me a bit of Roxas, as far as determination goes, and that's a good thing. He'll be fine."

"We focus on our mission, Axel," Roy said briskly, descending down a marble staircase with Axel on his heels.

"Yes, sir!"

Roy halted once they reached the bottom of the stairs, staring at the door directly across from them. He sucked in a deep breath and then put his hand on the handle, opening the door and walking inside calmly, Axel right behind him.

Pride looked up from where he had been picking up a wine bottle and smiled. "Hello Colonel. I'm glad I could finally see you tonight."

"Let me cut right to the chase, _Fuehrer_," Roy started. "I know who you are and I'm going to kill you."

Pride's visible eye narrowed and he moved his hand to the eye patch sealed over his left eye. "I see. This is interesting. Then I suppose I can go full out against you."

Roy moved with deadly speed, snapping his fingers quickly and sending a torrent of fire at Pride. Pride leapt to the side only to have Axel appear, slashing at him with his red and white chakrams. Axel smirked and then lunged forward, slicing at him furiously as Pride continued to weave and duck around the double assault. Suddenly, he ripped off the eye patch and drew the sword at his waist, blocking both of Axel's attacks and then ducking under Roy's.

"I hope you realize that you cannot kill me. Homunculi don't die," Pride said calmly, moving and slicing his sword with deadly accuracy, slicing open Axel's stomach.

Axel cried out and then jumped back. "Burn baby!"

Fire spiraled around him and caught Pride in the deadly vortex. The fire licked at the walls and ceiling and Roy had no doubt that the rest of the mansion was quickly going up in flames and with it, so would Pride.

Satisfied that he had killed the man, Axel jumped back towards Roy, eyes widening in horror when Pride cracked his neck, completely unaffected by the heat around them. Roy's eyes narrowed and he closed in on Pride only to have Pride's sword dart forward, plunging straight through the right side of his chest and out his back, spinning to sink the sword into one of the walls that wasn't yet burning. Roy coughed up copious amounts of blood as pain rushed through his limbs, starting at where the sword had stabbed and radiating out to the rest of his body.

Pride engaged Axel in quick hand to hand combat, forcing Axel to release his chakrams and attempt to fight back. It was now that Axel regretted never taking Larxene up on her offer of hand to hand combat lessons. Pride knocked him flat on his back and moved his foot to Axel's neck, pressing down lightly.

"Ready to die, pathetic human?"  
Roy watched in horror as Axel was thrown back. He had to move! He had to attack! Somehow! But his arms wouldn't obey him, his fingers wouldn't move into the correct positions to snap so he could attack. He was paralyzed by fear. At that moment, the door to the wine cellar was throne open and a small boy with brown hair stepped through, coughing at the smoke as he did so.

"Dad! I brought your treasure to you!" the boy shouted, eyes slightly teary from the smoke. "You told me to get it if something bad ever happened to the house so I brought it to you!"

Axel watched as Pride's face contorted with rage. "Hey," he growled, his voice barely managing to get out with the foot on his throat. "He's a human too! Do you think he's pathetic too?"

Pride glared down at him, lifting his foot away only to kick Axel firmly in the head, sending him spinning into unconscious.

"Dad?" the boy asked quietly, scared at the angry look in his father's face. "What did I do wrong?"

"You little rat!" he shouted, seizing the boy by his neck and picking him up easily in the air.

The boy struggled. "D-ad! D-ad! Wh-at are you ah-"

Pride snapped the child's neck, tossing him over towards where Roy was pinned to the wall. Roy's eyes widened in horror as lifeless dull eyes stared up at him, a cloth covered object rolling out of the boy's bag. Rage bubbled up inside him and he managed to turn his head to glare at Pride.

"You bastard," he hissed, grabbing the sword in his chest with both hands, not caring that he sliced his gloves in the process.

With a cry he pulled the sword out, tossing it on the ground and with it, his destroyed gloves. Blood dripped from his hands but he didn't acknowledge it. He knew now what the boy had brought with him. Part of Pride's human body, the thing that would make it possible for him to be killed.

He staggered over to the cloth covered object, pulling it out of its confines and holding it out in front of him, panting heavily as Pride tried to move closer, finding he couldn't unless he wanted to be paralyzed. Roy wiped a finger in the blood on his chest, moving it to the back of the hand that gripped the pale white skull tightly. With a shaking finger, he drew the transmutation circle that would normally be on his gloves onto his hand.

"You die…now," Roy growled.

He tapped the transmutation circle and suddenly, all of the flames around them leapt towards Pride, spiraling around him and consuming him completely. His scream echoed in Roy's ears as he turned into a puddle of red liquid. With the last amount of strength he had, Roy tossed the skull into the fire, falling to his knees as he did so. The last thing he remembered was his head hitting the cement floor.


	31. Chapter 31

Sora led the group around the corner and all the way out onto the platform that was revealed. Beneath them, a gigantic city sprawled. Light posts lined the cobble stone streets and all of the houses had either red or grey roof tops and more than half of the visible houses had their windows lit up. It was eerie how the entire city seemed to be alive despite the fact that the feeling of emptiness seemed to rise from its depths. Unfortunately, that wasn't the only thing that was wrong.

Heartless roamed the streets. Or at least, they looked like Heartless. To be completely honest, it just looked like a city of Anti-Soras except they weren't Soras. They retained their human shape and features but had taken on a slight appearance of Heartless. Instead of regular skin color, the humans that roamed the city had the dark navy blue color that the Anti-Soras had as well as the glowing yellow eyes.

Way on the other side of the city, a Darkside was visible, huge arms crossed across the chest where Sora was sure the heart shaped hole would be. A thought entered his mind and he scanned the citizens of the dead city below him.

"Riku…they have heart shaped holes in their chests," Sora breathed.

"This is so…creepy," Kairi muttered.

"Oh yeah," Roxas agreed.

"This…" Riku breathed falling to his knees.

_**Do you feel it Riku? The overwhelming darkness? Feel it rushing through your veins? **_

___Ansem,_ Riku whimpered, clutching his head as he curled up on himself, ignoring the others completely. _This is what you wanted, didn't you? You wanted me to come here because these Heartless are making you stronger! Answer me!_

_**That is correct. You are so foolish, even now. So, what will it be? Give over peacefully or be beaten into submission?**_

__"NO! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" Riku wailed.

Sora knelt beside Riku, watching the people below them. It was as if they hadn't heard the cry at all and continued moving around through their lives, if it could be called that. Kairi moved to get closer to Riku but Roxas held her back, clutching Wonderweiss to his side as he did so.

"Don't. There's nothing you can do," he said quietly. "Guessing from his words, Ansem is trying to take him over again. Now that we're surrounded by darkness, Ansem could easily do so."

"No," Sora breathed. "Riku, come on. Don't give in!"

Riku curled up tighter, his hands tugging at his silver locks as if he were trying to pull them out. Whimpering gasps were all that could be heard as he rocked back and forth. His head was throbbing painfully as Ansem struggled to gain control over Riku's body, slamming against his carefully constructed defenses and breaking them down.

The ground suddenly shook and Sora's head snapped up. The Dark Side was moving, sliding through the buildings as if it was a ghost and slowly approaching them. He released Riku and stood up, his Keyblade appearing in his hand. Roxas stopped him though, appearing at his side.

"Leave this to Kairi and me. You take care of Riku," he ordered. He jumped off the edge of the small cliff they were on, landing on the street below and breaking into a run, Kairi right behind him.

Roxas quickly discovered they could pass right through the Heartless-like people as if they were air. It was strange but he didn't see why he should think about it if it made his job easier.

"How are we going to defeat that thing?" Kairi shouted as they grew closer and closer to the gigantic Heartless.

"Follow me," Roxas ordered, turning down an alley.

His eyes darted around and he found a metal ladder connected to the side of one of the houses. He sprinted towards it and scrambled up to the roof, Kairi at his heels. By this point, the Dark Side had almost reached them.

Roxas closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and summoning Sora's Keyblades to him. In one hand, the familiar weight of Oblivion appeared, Oathkeeper appearing soon after in his left hand. His eyes snapped open and he stared up at the Dark Side. Kairi looked at him for a cue but Roxas didn't spare her a glance, springing up into the air and slashing his Keyblades into the large hand of the beast. Kairi followed his example, attacking the other hand.

Roxas snapped Oathkeeper out, sinking it into the wrist and hanging in the air and holding himself up with one arm before stabbing Oblivion into the arm a few inches up. Slowly, he crept up the large arm this way as Kairi continued to distract it from where she was. His arms were aching terribly by the time he reached the elbow but he forced the pain into the back of his arm, continuing up painstakingly slow.

Wonderweiss watched from where he stood at the edge of the cliff. How could he possible let Roxas and Kairi fight alone? He wasn't a good friend if he allowed them to do that. He had to help them somehow. Determined, he closed his eyes, trying to remember how he had saved Axel so long ago.

Several tense heartbeats passed, his heartbeat thudding in his ears as power began to trickle through his arms, the flow growing stronger and stronger until his fingertips were sparking with red light. Sora watched as this happened, eyes widening when the light solidified into glowing red orbs. Wonderweiss's eyes snapped open and he reached his right arm back, unfurling his arm and letting loose the red light.

The energy became a beam, shooting through the air and straight towards the head of the Dark Side. Roxas saw it coming and hurriedly yanked the Keyblades out of the arm, letting himself fall to the ground and ordering Kairi with a shout to run. He just managed to get to the ground when a gigantic boom sounded, a bright red light consuming the Dark Side in seconds. The ground shook and Roxas fell to his knees. Kairi was forced to the ground as well, her Keyblade clattering to the ground. When the shaking finally stopped, nothing remained of the Dark Side.

Wonderweiss stood in front of Sora, breath heaving as the energy on his other hand flickered and then died out. He fell to his knees but Sora didn't move to help him, too afraid to leave Riku alone. Riku was still whimpering and shuddering in his arms, Ansem's name spilling out among the incoherent mutterings.

Riku sucked in a deep breath when he felt Ansem's attack suddenly falter as if he had lost a reserve of his power. But then he was back, attacking and relentless as before, battering his mind in another attempt to take over. The only thing keeping him even slightly grounded were Sora's arms wrapped tightly around his shoulders and the murmuring voice in his ear.

Roxas and Kairi headed back to the others. Roxas took the stairs this time instead, glad that they didn't have to find a way to scale up the cliff the others were on top of.

"Why didn't we take these stairs in the first place?" Kairi asked.

"Jumping was faster," Roxas answered, rushing towards Wonderweiss. "That was you, wasn't it?"  
Wonderweiss nodded. "I-I can f-fight now."

Roxas smiled. "That's good. Sora, how is Riku?"  
"Same," Sora replied, rubbing Riku's back comfortingly. "Can you guys stay with him? I have to go find the Keyhole."

"Wonderweiss, Roxas, and I will stay," Kairi told him. "You two go look."

Sora nodded, standing up. "I'll be back soon."

RERERE

Maes watched as the fire continued to rage despite the rain that pounded down around them. The other party goers were powerless to do anything and the fire department had yet to arrive. Ten minutes ago, Armstrong had plowed straight into the building to go find Mustang and Axel and he had still not returned. Maes feared that all three of them would perish in the flames.

"Hughes!" Ed shouted as he, Al, and Wrath rushed passed the iron gates. "Where's Roy and Axel?"

Hughes turned towards him, wiping off some of the water on his glasses as he did so. "They're still in there. I don't know if they're done fighting or not but Armstrong went in to get them."

Ed chewed his lip nervously. _You idiot…you better survive._

Almost as if on cue, one of the walls was busted down and Armstrong stepped through, Roy over his right shoulder, Axel over his left, and a small boy cradled in one of his arms. Ed, Al, Wrath, and Maes were at his side instantly, helping him away from the building as he set down the three people.

"Roy," Ed breathed.

Blood washed onto the ground from the gaping wound but ragged breath was audible despite this. Axel was merely unconscious but the little boy was dead.

"This is horrible," Maes whispered, staring at the lifeless and blank eyes. "Did the Fuehrer do this?"

"I think so," Armstrong answered. "But we have to wait until the other two wake up to know for sure."

_Roy…don't you dare die._

RERERE

Sora lost track of time as he ran through the ghost like city. His mind was only on Riku and wondering if he was still fighting against Ansem, wondering if he was still alive, wondering if he was even winning. But he continued running, trying to find whatever square they had seen when looking at the grainy photographs. He was guessing it was near the center but it seemed as though the streets leading to it were getting longer and longer and he was making no progress on getting closer.

As he ran, he tried to ignore the strange Heartless he saw. They didn't even glance at him s they walked through the streets, stopping into stores and talking to what he guessed were their friends. Only they weren't talking. Their lips moved, but no sound was made making the whole city even creepier.

Finally, the rows of buildings opened up and he stood in the square. Directly in front of him was the Keyhole, Large Bodies and Neoshadows surrounding it on all sides. Quickly, he summoned the Kingdom Key and lunged at the Heartless.

"Wait!" a voice shouted.

Sora froze, whirling around. One of the Heartless/humans stood there, clutching a basket in both of her hands. Her shoulder length hair was braided on both sides and her glowing yellow eyes stared right into his clear blue ones. A frown was on her face.

"Who are you?" Sora demanded, backing away.

"My name has been long forgotten. But you can't hurt them. They protect us from those who wish to destroy our peaceful world," she said. "If you hurt them, I'll hurt you."

"But I have to lock that Keyhole," Sora protested, watching nervously as several more of the human Heartless approached him.

"If you do that, we can't continue living," the girl said, her voice growing angry. "You want to hurt us! You want to get rid of us!"

Sora's eyes widened. "No, that's not it! I just need to protect the Keyhole from those Heartless destroying it!"

"Does it look like they're trying to? I have to get rid of you," she growled. She dropped the basket and lunged, her movements becoming jerky like that of a Shadow.

Sora blocked the swipe of her claw like hand with the Kingdom Key, fear zipping through him. The girl continued to lunge at him, growls emitting from her throat as she tried to get a good attack at his throat. His eyes darted around and he realized that more of the human Heartless were gathering. This wasn't good. He had a feeling that any minute they would swarm on him in attack.

Almost as if on cue, they lunged at him. Sora cried out, his shout echoing around the large cavern as a claw sank into his back, viciously clawing the skin apart and washing the ground with blood. He fell to his knees, struggling to pull out a potion only to be forced to the ground by a swift kick. His head hit the cement and his vision closed around him.

RERERE

Riku's head snapped up as Sora's scream echoed around the cavern, his concentration breaking. But in the process, so did Ansem's.

_Save this for later, Ansem. I have to help Sora,_ Riku growled in his mind. _If you try and fight me now, you're dead. _

_**Save the boy, then. You're mine, later.**_

___Bastard._

Riku leapt to his feet, stumbling a little as he tried to regain his senses.

"Riku!" Kairi shouted. "Are you okay?"  
"I have to save Sora. I beat Ansem back for now. But we have to go!" Riku growled, not waiting for a response and jumping down to the street below, sprinting in the direction of Sora's scream.

The other three glanced at each other before jumping right after him. _Their love for each other amazes me,_ Kairi thought as they ran. _But I suppose I should have expected this though. Let's just hope we can get there fast enough._

RERERE

Ed sat in one of the plastic chairs beside Roy's bed, staring at the pale face. Maes sat beside him, wringing his hands as he tried to think of a way to break the tense silence. Roy had been put in the hospital immediately and his fatal wound had been fixed and the loss of blood had been fixed. Unfortunately, they didn't think he would wake up for at least two days.

"Edward…I know you hate the Colonel and all but he is a good man. There's a reason I've been supporting him for so long you know. He wants to-"

"Don't tell me," Ed interrupted. "Roy and I agreed we would talk to each other after this all ended. He would tell me his reasons and we agreed we'd get to know each other as people, not superior officer and subordinate."

Maes didn't respond at first, mulling over what Edward was saying. "You're really mature, Ed. I mean, obviously. We've known that for awhile now. But I never thought I'd hear you say something like that."

"I'm full of surprises, aren't I?"

The words were dry, no humor in them at all. Maes patted Ed's shoulder. "It'll work out Edward. I promise."

Ed just nodded. "Yeah."

RERERE

Riku sprinted through the winding streets, intent on finding Sora no matter what. He didn't wait for the other three to catch up and soon rounded the final corner, eyes narrowing when he saw the human Heartless moving in on the motionless form of Sora. Instantly, he had Way to Dawn out and was knocking them aside without a second thought, ignoring their cries of pain.

Roxas, Kairi, and Wonderweiss formed a protective ring around them as Riku hurriedly pulled out a potion, his mind a blur. Sora was suffering and he hadn't been there to prevent it from happening. There must've been something wrong with him. After he was sure Sora was out of life threatening danger he stood up, eyes piercing those of the now calm human Heartless around them.

"Alright, who did this?" he growled, his voice harsh and demanding.

Kairi winced. She had never heard such fury in Riku's voice and it scared her to know he was capable of such a dark feeling.

"I did," a girl said bravely, stepping up to glower at him. "He was trying to destroy us. If he gets rid of that Keyhole we'll die."

"You think I care about that? You almost killed him. You will die," Riku snarled.

Kairi moved to stop him but Riku was gone, appearing right behind the girl and plunging Way to Dawn straight through her chest, yanking it out in a fluid motion and kicking her to the ground. She gasped and then vanished in a puff of black smoke.

"Whose next?" he demanded, gaze sweeping over the others surrounding them.

The human Heartless were silent, their faces going from wary to furious in seconds before suddenly, the pounced, attacking the entire group. Riku easily fought the ones around him off, making his way back to where he could protect Sora properly as Kairi, Roxas, and Wonderweiss fought.

Wonderweiss found that by concentrating the red energy into his finger tips, he could use them as claws. It was an efficient way to attack and he easily picked up on his opponents' jerky but fast movements, copying them and adding his own speed.

Kairi was scared. She had never been in such an intense battle as she was now. Before, she had never worried about the possibility of death but now as she struggled to block all of the vicious onslaughts, she wondered if maybe she would die. And that was when she remembered what Soi Fon had taught her. Was she really going to let all that training go to waste? She whirled around, catching one of the Heartless in the jaw with her foot before twisting and slashing at another with her Keyblade. Quickly, she flash stepped a foot to the left to avoid another attack before resuming her own.

Roxas was reminded, quite painfully, of his fight with Riku; the moments just before when he had been swarmed by Neoshadows. It was just like this, the same need to survive, the same tense anger that flooded his veins, the same weapons. It was all like déjà vu and knowing that if he fell back Sora would get hurt made it all the more easier to fight against them. There was no way in hell he was going to let the Heartless get anywhere near Sora. But he wondered if they could survive. It was them against an entire city of Heartless. Did they even stand a chance?

RERERE

Axel woke up, his head throbbing painfully. Wrath was sitting in a chair beside his bed and he realized quickly he was in a hospital.

"Oh my god. What happened?" he demanded, sitting up and ignoring the jolt of pain that came with it.

Wrath flinched in his seat, unaware that Axel had woken up. "Pride is gone. So is Sloth. The little boy died though and Roy almost did too."

"Roxas…where's Roxas?" Axel demanded, his gaze fiery.

"I don't know. They haven't come back yet."

Axel groaned, falling back against the pillow, enjoying the soothing softness of it against his pained head. But still…"How long has it been since they went underground? Do you know?"  
Wrath glanced at the clock on the wall. "They left at eleven in the morning. It's midnight now. They've been gone for thirteen hours."

Axel felt a wave of fear wash through him. "That's not good. I should go help them."

"Are you insane?" Wrath demanded, arms crossed. "Just lay down and get some rest. You need it."

"Are you kidding? I barely did anything! I was knocked out in the beginning!" Axel cried, sitting up again. "I'm leaving and you aren't stopping me!"

Wrath's eyes narrowed and he stood up. "I'm not letting you leave. Beyond that door is Armstrong and I think you'd rather lie in bed then listen to him lecture you."

Axel fell back with a sigh. "But Roxas!"

"He'll be fine. Now relax and get some rest!"

"Yes mommy."

"I'm not old enough to be your mom, idiot."

Axel smirked.

RERERE

At least an hour had passed. Riku was sure it was more though. The last Heartless had been extinguished, including the ones surrounding the Keyhole and now the four of them waited around for Sora to awaken. Wonderweiss had fallen asleep in Roxas's lap and Roxas looked close to drifting off to sleep as well. Kairi was almost asleep as well.

"I can't believe I'm suggesting this but we should use the beds in one of these houses to sleep," Kairi said, getting to her feet, wobbling from exhaustion.

"Sounds like a good idea actually," Roxas agreed, getting up as well and holding Wonderweiss close to his chest.

Riku stood up as well, picking Sora up and looking at Kairi. "Lead the way. We'll follow."

Kairi picked the closest house, turning the brass door knob and opening it up. "I'm going to take the couch," she said, moving to sit on the couch in the living room the door had opened up to.

"I guess we'll find some rooms then," Riku said.

RERERE

Riku laid Sora on the small bed, sliding in beside him and wrapping his arms around the small form. Strangely, he couldn't sense Ansem in his mind. He wondered briefly if now that the Heartless in the city had been destroyed, he had lost the strength to resist. His thoughts were interrupted when Sora shifted, groaning softly as he woke.

"Riku?" he mumbled, turning to face Riku. His blue eyes were sleepy but after a few blinks he was fully awake, eyes wide. "What happened? Is Ansem gone? What about the Heartless? And-"

Riku put his hand over Sora's mouth, silencing him. "Ansem is gone for now. All the Heartless have been destroyed. Your wound is mostly healed but the muscles might be a little stiff. I'm fine, so is everyone else. Just…relax."

Sora nodded, removing Riku's hand. "Okay. Sorry for freaking out. Sorry if I scared you."

"Just go to sleep," Riku said softly, kissing his forehead. "We're leaving later, after you lock the Keyhole."

"Okay…thanks for saving me."

"Of course."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

RERERE

The next morning, Sora locked the Keyhole with no problems. All of them were still tired but they were able to find food in one of the abandoned shops.

"It's creepy how this place can still operate even though the people here weren't actually human," Kairi said as she ate a muffin.

"Makes me realize that despite how they looked and fought, they still had the same wants and needs as us," Roxas added.

"But they were still Heartless. They needed to be killed," Riku said firmly. "All we need to worry about now is getting back up to the surface."

"I wonder if Ed and t-the others are o-okay," Wonderweiss mumbled.

His words dampened the already dark mood. But Sora, being who he was, refused to let it get to him.

"I'm sure they're fine! I mean, they have things like alchemy and Ed said that homunculi can't do that sort of thing. They already have an upper hand that way. And besides, Axel's there. Axel would never lose!"

Roxas smiled, though it was weak. "Thanks Sora. You really are the better half."

"Where did you come up with such a stupid idea," Sora asked, still grinning. "We're equal Roxas. You should know that."

Roxas just smirked and went back to eating.

RERERE

"Stop pacing," Wrath sighed.

It was nine in the morning and Axel still hadn't been released from the hospital, deciding to pace the tiled floor instead, wringing his hands as he did so.

"I can't help it! Roxas-"

"Is fine," Wrath repeated for the seventeenth time that morning. "Stop worrying. I'm sure they'll be here soon."

"You said that two hours ago!" Axel whined. "Two hours is _not_ soon!"

"Never knew you whined so much, Axel, said a voice, the white plastic door sliding open.

"Roxas!"

Roxas groaned when Axel tackled him in a hug, almost knocking him over. Sora, Riku, Kairi, and Wonderweiss followed in after.

"We're alive, surprised?" Sora asked, smirking.

"Why were you gone so long! I was worried, dammit!"

"We could tell," Riku said.

"You have no idea how annoying he's been for the past two hours!" Wrath complained.

"So did you figure out what happened yet?" Axel asked, ignoring Wrath completely.

Wrath grumbled something unintelligible before stomping out of the room.

"We stopped in to see Roy. He's still unconscious though so we still don't know exactly what happened," Sora told him.

Axel grew serious as he released Roxas. "Pride killed a little kid. Then I was knocked out so Roy probably killed him. I was barely any help at all! So…what happened with you guys? You were gone forever."

"Ansem caused problems, massive wave of creepy Heartless, some near death experiences, and we locked the Keyhole," Sora said.

"So the same as always then?" Axel asked, smirking.

"Yep."

"So we're done here then, right?" Roxas asked.

"Probably later this afternoon is when we'll leave," Sora told him. "I don't really want to stick around forever."

"Yeah. It would be nice if we could just finish all of this up," Kairi said. "Then we could all go back to the islands together."

"Not exactly. Even if we do lock all of the Keyholes, we still have Xemnas and Rezen to deal with," Axel said. "Nothing is ever easy."

RERERE

Roy's eyes fluttered open, a blurred figure with golden hair off to his left. He blinked once, his eyes focusing on Edward's worried face.

"You awake Mustang?" Ed asked softly, leaning forward.

"Barely. How long have I been out?" Roy mumbled, voice still thick with sleep.

"Only a day. It's nine thirty in the morning," Ed reported. "How do you feel?"  
"My chest feels like there's a gaping hole in the middle of it and my head is throbbing. My throat is dry too," Roy said.

Ed smirked though his eyes remained sympathetic. "Aren't you the whiner? I'll go get you some water."

"Thanks."

Roy let his eyes slide shut again, listening to Ed leave the room. So he had succeeded at killing Pride and someone had come in to save him and Axel. The hard part was over; now he had to try and explain to the public the truth about the Fuehrer and hope he didn't get axed for it.

"Here you go Mustang," Ed said, slipping inside the room again.

Roy struggled to sit up, gasping when pain shot from his chest and down his spine. Ed set the water down and moved closer to the wounded man, placing a hand at his lower back, his auto mail between his shoulder blades before slowly moving him into a sitting position. He stuffed some pillows beneath him so he'd stay up.

"Thanks," Roy mumbled, taking the water and washing it down his dry throat.

"No problem."

Roy finished off the water, crumpling the empty paper cup in his hand before letting it drop to the floor. "I'm glad you're okay, Edward."

"Same to you."

Silence reigned over them then, neither knowing quite what to say. Finally, Roy decided to speak.

"How am I going to explain this to everyone?"

"Maes and Armstrong have already talked to General Hakuro. Greed and the others stopped by to give him proof too. If Hakuro announces it the public, people will believe him…both Maes and Armstrong are trying to convince him that it was you who realized all of this and that you deserve to be the Fuehrer," Ed explained. "Hakuro wanted to talk to me too…I said that it was you who figured it all out as well."

"Thank you," Roy sighed. "Maybe this will all work out then. Maybe I won't be charged for treason and put to death."

"If you were charged for treason I'd help you escape," Edward said, the words leaving his mouth before he had a chance to think about them. He blushed then, looking down hurriedly. "It's just…you've done so much for me. I would have to repay you somehow."

"I understand. I would do the same for you."

The words were unexpected. Ed looked up and gave Roy a soft smile.


	32. Chapter 32

Three weeks passed before Sora and the others left. By that point, Roy had become the Fuehrer though he was still in the hospital recovering from his fatal wound. General Hakuro remained the General and Maes quickly became Brigadier General. To make it even better, Roy was able to pull Archer out of Risembool and had demoted him to a simple military dog at the bottom of the food chain.

So now Sora, Riku, Kairi, Axel, Roxas, and Wonderweiss were all gathered in Roy's hospital room, exchanging a few parting words. Ed, Al, and Wrath were there as well.

"We have to keep going, we've been delayed for far too long," Sora told him. "But thank you for helping us."

Roy nodded. "No problem at all. I guess I have you guys to thank for becoming Fuehrer too."

"Yeah thanks. Now the bastard can order me around more than usual," Ed joked. "If you ever need help, feel free to call."

"We'll remember that," Sora said, smiling brightly. "But we gotta go. See you round!"

Axel opened a portal and one by one the group filed into the corridors of darkness. Once they were gone, Wrath spoke up.

"What ever happened to Envy?"

"Greed said Envy wouldn't be attacking us anymore," Ed told him. "We shouldn't worry about it."

"But Envy will want to kill the ones who killed Dante, won't he?" Wrath asked.

Ed paled.

RERERE

"You want revenge, don't you?" Rezen asked.

Envy's eyes narrowed, wishing he was strong enough to throttle the man that sat on the smooth rock before him. The sound of waves lapping at the sand broke the silence that hung between the two of them.

"Of course," Envy finally answered.

"Then you'll have to do as I say. You'll have to work for me," Rezen told him. Envy could practically hear the smirk in his voice.

"I know that!" Envy snarled.

"Alright. I need you to come with me. We have some people to meet up with. They need our help," Rezen told him, standing up.

Envy's gaze turned to the glowing moon above them. "Who are they?"

"You'll see. But I suggest you don't befriend them. We'll be killing them off once their purpose has been fulfilled," Rezen said.

"Do I really look like the type to befriend people?" Envy growled.

"Of course not. Though there was that Greed."

"Greed doesn't matter anymore," Envy snarled. "Besides, the only thing I can really feel anymore is jealousy and anger. Other emotions don't come to me like they used to."

"I can make that possible," Rezen said. "I'm just like you. No heart, no true feelings, no soul. But there is a way to make it happen."

"Really now?"

"And just think, if you had a soul, Greed would like you more than that other man. How does that sound?" Rezen cooed.

Envy's face split into a grin. "Oh this will get interesting.

_You have no idea, foolish little pawn._

RERERE

"So I take it that world was a success," Zexion said as Aerith once again cooked food for them.

"Yep," Sora answered cheerfully.

"So these Heartless," Leon started. "You say they looked like humans?"

"Acted like them too," Riku said, "and they lived normal lives for the most part."

"That's very odd," Leon mumbled. "And you say Ansem was able to draw power from them?"  
"Yeah," Riku answered. "But once we killed them, I haven't felt him at all. I wonder if he lost all of his strength."

"Probably not all of it," Leon said. "I know you don't want to hear this, but I doubt Ansem will ever leave you completely after you gave into him completely before. Twice too."

Riku looked down. "I know."

"Don't worry," Sora said brightly. "He'll never take you over, we know that!"

Riku smiled.

_Sora is amazing. He's able to fix any mood no problem,_ Zexion thought, glancing from Sora and then to Demyx. _Then again, so can Demyx. It's almost as though they're the same. Riku has Sora to cheer him up and I have Demyx…it's perfect. _

"Any luck on finding Cloud yet?" Kairi asked quietly.

Leon shook his head. "No."

"What about the rest of the Organization?" Axel asked.

"They're hiding at a world we don't know about, I think," Vexen spoke up. "We've covered all of the other worlds looking for them."

"It sucks," Demyx said with a pout.

"Oh, and there's Rezen we have to deal with," Sora said. "He's been teaching people how to control Heartless and we've never even met him. I think he's a Nobody though."

"Another enemy?" Leon demanded sharply. "And he isn't working with Xemnas? This is bad."

"You think?" Riku grumbled. "I really wish these things were simpler."

"Oh but we can't have that, can we?" Roxas agreed.

"It'll work out! You guys are just too pessimistic," Sora told them. "But we really need to get the Gummi Ship and keep going."

"We'll keep trying to find Xemnas and the others," Zexion said. "You guys just need to focus on the Keyholes."

_Because if the Heartless get to that, we're in more trouble,_ Riku thought.

RSRSRS

Larxene finished sharpening her kunais, quickly stashing them away in her cloak pockets. At that moment, a sharp rap came at her door, startling her.

"What?" she snarled.

"The Superior has ordered for a meeting," Saix's monotone voice said, muffled by the door.

"Ugh. Fine. I'll be there soon," she growled.

A sigh was heard. "Do you remember where the new meeting room is?"

Larxene yanked the door open, glowering at Saix. Saix merely flicked his blue hair over his shoulder, smirking as he turned around.

"I suppose I'll lead you there then."

_One day, I'm going to cut his head off,_ she thought, glaring daggers into his back as he led her through the winding corridors of the new castle Xemnas had found for them. She wasn't even sure what world it was in, unless Xemnas had created a new one in which case the entire world was probably only the castle.

Saix opened a door and led her inside a pure white room, motioning for her to take a seat in one of the white chairs that surrounded an equally white table. No one was there yet so the two of them sat down in awkward silence, the tension of wanting to kill one another obvious.

Next to arrive was Lexaeus followed quickly by Xaldin and finally Xemnas himself.

"So what is this for?" Larxene demanded as Xemnas sat down.

"We have visitors. I would like you to meet Rezen and Envy," Xemnas said, his voice as monotonous as Saix's.

As if on cue, a man cloaked in black, much like them only with his hood up, walked in. Behind him trailed another man with long green hair, an angry expression on the feminine face.

"Pleased to meet all of you. I was unaware that your numbers had grown so small," Rezen sniffed.

"Well, it turns out a few of our members have decided that they no longer need to be with us. But that's the only reason we're still an Organization in the first place. Revenge," Xemnas explained. "We have our hearts."

The mood in the room suddenly grew tense.

"Do you now?" Rezen asked, his once aloof voice now cold and hard. "And how did that happen?"

"Don't know," Larxene said with a shrug, smirking at the man's anger. This was going to be interesting.

"We all did die at one point," Xaldin spoke up. "That may have something to do with it."

"What I don't understand," Xemnas started, "is why we weren't aware of your presence before today. Any explanation?"

"I have been a Nobody for many years. I was unaware that there were others like me until just recently. I have been wandering around the worlds for a long time, destroying them as I go. It wasn't until recently I discovered your existence. This was right after I became aware of the Keyblade Wielders as they were fixing all the beautiful destruction I had worked to create," Rezen muttered.

"You're psycho," Envy suddenly spoke up.

The whole room seemed to hold its breath when Rezen glanced at him. Even though they couldn't see his face, everyone could feel the glare. Envy just stared right back at him, seemingly unaffected.

Finally, Rezen spoke. "Remember Envy. I can kill you."

Envy's expression twisted into a snarl but he glanced away before he could say anything else that would get Rezen even angrier.

"But anyways, since we all have a problem with the Keyblade Wielders, we can fight together. I'm sure I can recruit even more people who have suffered at their hands and would be willing to join us," Rezen continued.

"It's good to have you here," Xemnas said, a smirk twisting his thing lips.

RSRSRS

"I'm glad you convinced us to stay," Sora told Aerith as the group chowed down.

They had somehow managed to cram in two tables so that the entire group could fit. Aerith had already brought out several trays of food and it still wasn't enough to feed them all.

"I'm glad you did. We don't get to see you very often," Aerith said quietly.

"Yeah! It's been more than a month!" Yuffie chimed in.

"We've been busy," Riku mumbled.

He glanced down the table at the others. Axel, Marluxia, Roxas, and Vexen were in a heated conversation; their voices low enough that no one else could hear what they were saying.

"Just forgive me, please Axel," Marluxia begged. His hand was linked tightly with Vexen's beneath the table, clenching it until his knuckles were white.

"There's nothing you even need to apologize for," Axel sighed. "Don't bed. The Lord of Castle Oblivion shouldn't sink down to that level."

He smirked when Marluxia's eyes widened.

"Castle Oblivion no longer exists. I'm not a Lord of anything; not anymore."

Axel turned his eyes to Vexen, startling the ice wielder with his fierce gaze. "Why is he like this? Why are you letting him think so low of himself?"

"I-" Vexen started.

"Don't blame him for anything, Number 8! My scythe isn't only used for killing!" Marluxia growled, raw anger sparking in his eyes.

Axel smirked. "There we go. That's the bastard we all know and love!"

Roxas laughed at how easily Axel had tricked Marluxia into feeling better. Marluxia ducked his head in embarrassment.

"Thank you, Number 8," he muttered.

"No problem, you pompous ass with a God complex," Axel said.

"You can stop with the insults now," Marluxia growled, glaring at the red head.

"Right, sorry," Axel said, his tone displaying he felt other wise.

_Axel is much more perceptive then I ever imagined,_ Vexen thought. _Then again, he was able to manipulate us all. I believe he could very well do it again. _

RSRSRS

"I don't know why you insist on us being here," Riku said as Sora opened the door to the castle library again.

"Well I was thinking that maybe there's some information about those Heartless in these libraries," Sora said. "Don't you at least want to look?"

"I don't think the answer would be here," Riku told him doubtfully.

"But this is Ansem's library, the real Ansem. I'm sure he would know something about those Heartless. He would've recorded it down in a book somewhere," Sora said. "I really think I'm right."

Riku sighed, picking a book off the shelf. "Alright. Let's start looking."

RSRSRS

"Where did Sora and Riku go?" Demyx asked as he flopped down beside Zexion in one of the chairs.

Zexion was sitting in the small library beneath the house, reading yet another one of the books he had found. He looked up from the book, folding it shut while keeping his finger within it to keep his place marked.

"They went to Ansem's library in the castle. They want to look up more information on the Heartless they encountered at the other world," Zexion told him. "Plus I don't believe they've had a lot of time for themselves."

"What do you think about those Heartless?" Demyx asked.

"I have several possible theories on them. The first is that those humans had strong enough hearts to beat back the darkness. This is highly improbable though due to the fact that is rare for such a thing to happen," Zexion explained.

"Yeah. I thought we were the only ones who were strong enough to keep our minds intact," Demyx said.

"Us and a few others. Xehanort's Heartless survived. Sora and Riku. Cloud as well, or at least we hope," Zexion told him. "But my second theory is that it has nothing to do with darkness and light at all. That world was based on alchemy. Alchemic reactions could've caused the strange mutation between human and Heartless."

"That seems more likely," Demyx agreed. "There's no way that many people could possibly keep their mind intact after being swallowed by the darkness."

Zexion nodded. Despite what people often times thought, Demyx was smart and well read. Granted, he wasn't as well read as Zexion but the two were still able to converse about complicated topics.

"So it's safe to assume that it will never happen again?" Demyx asked.

"I think so. We'll know for sure when Riku and Sora return."

RSRSRS

The sun had long ago set and the only light left were the dim overhead lights. Sora's eyes burned from three long hours of reading. With both him and Riku reading, they had finished off half a bookshelf. Ansem had recorded his findings thoroughly and the print on the yellowed pages was small. To make it worse, there was no order to it at all.

Sora yawned and closed the book he was reading, letting it drop to the ground with a thud. Riku picked it up as he walked back towards the bookshelf.

"Can we call it a night?" Riku asked, moving back to where Sora was stretched out on one of the couches, an arm draped over his eyes.

"I don't want to walk back," Sora whined.

Riku picked Sora's head up, sitting down before letting it fall onto his lap. "So let's stay here. This is where Ansem and his apprentices lived so there has to be someplace to sleep."

"Then let's look now before I fall asleep," Sora muttered, pushing himself up into a sitting position and then standing up.

"Alright."

It didn't take too long to find sleeping quarters. Beneath the dungeon like area near the library was a long hallway, seven doors on each side and a final one at the very end of the hall.

"You think Ienzo and the others used these?" Riku asked.

"I don't want to think about that," Sora said, shuddering at the thought.

Riku smirked as he opened the first door, holding it open so Sora could slip through first before following and letting the door shut behind him. Sora flicked the light on, bathing the room in warm light. The floor was wooden and completely plain except for the small bed slammed up against the far right corner. Dark blue sheets covered the bed.

"Small but it'll work," Riku said with a shrug, walking over and kicking his shoes off, shoving them beneath the bed and Sora quickly followed his example.

"Um…Riku?" Sora murmured.

Riku turned to look over at the now blushing teen. "What is it?"

Sora chewed his lip and then moved closer, slipping his arms around Riku's neck before slowly pressing his lips to Riku's. Riku let his eyes slide shut and closed the remaining distance between them, his hands moving to Sora's waist and gripping his hips tightly as he returned the kiss.

Sora didn't know why he had suddenly felt the need to kiss Riku. The feeling had started in the library and slowly manifested, building up until he could no longer deny it. But he was nervous now, as the kiss grew deeper and Riku's hips began to gently rub against his. Was the feeling lust? Love? Was he really willing to go that far now?

Those thoughts were banished when Riku drew away, moving to his ear. "Sora…If we go any further I'm not going to stop. I'm warning you now."

Sora's breath hitched. He knew it was going to lead to this but he still couldn't deny the burning need to finally have Riku claim him completely.

"I don't care," he breathed.

That was all the permission Riku needed. His warm lips pressed to his neck then, slowly working down to his collar bone as his fingers played with the hem of the brunette's shirt, lifting it several inches as Sora whimpered, head falling back. Riku sucked a bit of flesh into his mouth, flicking it with his tongue before releasing it to pull the shirt over Sora's head, displaying the tan and toned chest.

Riku slowly walked Sora back until his knees hit the bed and he fell back, Riku straddling his waist and beginning to nip and suck at his collarbone, finally moving to his chest. He first focused on the base of his neck and then moved to the small nubs, laving his tongue over one while his thumb and forefinger applied the same ministrations to the other one. Sora arched into the touches, moaning out Riku's name without being aware of it.

Slowly, he moved down, scraping his teeth gently on the brunette's ribs before moving to his navel. After several butterfly kisses around it, Sora's hands tugged at his shoulders, forcing him back up so he could connect their lips in another kiss. Riku accepted it and then broke it so Sora could tug his shirt up, letting it fall to the ground with his before once again, Riku trekked back down his chest, quicker than before.

Once he reached Sora's pants, he slowly unbuttoned them, allowing Sora time to object. Then he pulled the zipper down, gently tugging the pants down Sora's slim hips before tossing them onto the ground as well, followed swiftly by his boxers. He took Sora in, ignoring Sora's blush at being exposed so openly for the first time. Riku gently kissed the boy before stripping off his pants and boxers as well, not afraid to display himself like Sora was.

Sora's blush deepened as he tried not to stare at Riku's well built body, his pale skin soft to the touch as Sora let his hands trail down Riku's chest, finally coming in contact with his hardening cock. Riku was surprised as Sora wrapped his hand around it, pumping it once gently. With a moan, he let his hands fall on either side of Sora's head, forehead pressed to Sora's as Sora continued the motions, growing bolder as he went.

"Sora…you should stop," Riku panted, pressing a sloppy kiss to Sora's mouth.

Sora's grip released him and Riku pushed himself up, once again moving down though he didn't stop when he reached Sora's erection, lightly kissing the tip. Sora shivered before letting out a throaty moan as Riku's mouth closed around it, licking up and down his shaft in between light sucks while a hand wrapped around the base. Riku used his other hand to hold Sora down.

Once he sensed Sora getting close, he drew back, bringing him to the edge of release, dangling a carrot in front of a rabbit, and then pulling it all away to leave him panting for more.

"Riku…" Sora whined.

"Impatient are we?" Riku mused, crooking a slim eyebrow at him. He leaned down over Sora then, looking him directly in the eyes. "I didn't come prepared. Are you sure this okay?"

Sora nodded with out hesitation. Riku smiled, kissing his nose before slipping three of his fingers up to Sora's mouth. Sora took them into his mouth, suckling on them gently as he moved his tongue in between each digit. He moaned around the fingers, smirking inwardly when Riku's eyes widened fractionally.

When Riku decided they were thoroughly wet, he drew them out of Sora's mouth, trailing the now wet fingers down his chest, drifting once over the peaked nipples and gently brushed his erection before slipping them near the puckered entrance. Sora tried not to tense as the first one slowly pushed in, barely lubricated. He couldn't stop the small wince and felt Riku's lips brush his forehead in a comforting gesture.

After letting him relax, Riku began pumping, slowly at first as he stretched him. Sora gave a slight nod when he was ready for the second. Riku let it slip in next to the other, kissing the tears that had started to fall from the cerulean eyes. He began stretching more as Sora adjusted until tentatively, Sora began bucking against the fingers as a pleasured moan escaped past his lips. His eyes suddenly widened when Riku's fingers rubbed against a certain spot and he arched his back, a loud groan falling from his lips.

"Riku! Again…please," Sora begged.

Riku pressed his lips tightly to Sora's as he teased his prostate with his fingers over and over again, slipping in the third finger almost unnoticeably as Sora writhed in pleasure beneath him. Sora's mouth opened in a breathless moan and Riku slipped his tongue in, entwining it with the wet muscle in Sora's, kissing him deeply as he slowly retracted his hand.

"Ready?" he breathed, lightly kissing him again.

Sora nodded. Riku quickly pumped his length a couple times to spread the pre cum and then lined himself up with Sora's entrance. Both seemed to hold their breath before Riku slowly pushed just the tip in. Sora winced and tensed.

"Shh. Relax," Riku whispered, butterfly kisses decorating Sora's face as he pushed in another inch. Sora whimpered as his arms came up to twine around Riku's neck, hands fisting in the silver locks tightly as he tried to relax. Several agonizing moments later, Riku was fully seated with in Sora, panting as he resisted thrusting in and out of the tight heat.

Sora tried to control his breathing. It felt like he was being split in half right up his back. Pain squirmed from his tailbone up to the base of his neck and back, making him shudder as small tears leaked out. Riku didn't hesitate to kiss them away, not being able to stand causing his best friend and lover any pain at all.

Finally, Sora adjusted. "Okay…Riku, move."

Riku was all too happy to oblige, pulling out and then sliding back in, groaning as the warm heat incased him once again. It was exquisite, the way Sora clenched around him without even realizing it, squeezing him. After several more thrusts, Sora began to buck into them, his own moans joining Riku's in the air.

"Riku…ah…faster," Sora begged before pulling Riku into a rough kiss, sealing their lips tightly against each other.

Like last time, Riku didn't hesitate to comply, picking up his pace and thrusting deeper, searching for that perfect spot. When Sora arched his back, Riku's name soaking his lips in between moans, Riku knew he had found it and angled his hips to hit it every time.

His hand wormed between the two of them, grasping Sora's member. He began pumping to the time of his thrusts, intensifying Sora's already blistering pleasure. The moans and cries became constant seeing as how Sora wasn't afraid to tell Riku what he wanted despite his earlier bashfulness. He was completely different now.

All too soon, Sora felt the knot that had been growing within him tighten and suddenly explode, coming into Riku's hands as he clenched down on Riku. Not long after, Riku came as well, rocking his hips against Sora several more times before he felt spent, collapsing down beside Sora after he had pulled out.

Still panting, Sora turned to stare into Riku's aquamarine eyes. "I love you, Riku."

"Love you too," Riku murmured, pressing one final kiss to Sora's lips.


	33. Chapter 33

"Marluxia, you've been up all night," Vexen sighed, rubbing his eyes as he woke for the fifth time that night. Marluxia had once again shifted, this time sitting so he was staring out the window.

"Sorry. I'll try and go back to sleep," Marluxia said quickly, moving away from the window.

Vexen stopped him with a hand on his chest. "What's wrong?"

Marluxia sighed, grabbing Vexen's wrist and moving the cold hand away from him. "Don't worry about it. Go back to sleep." With that, Marluxia gently kissed Vexen's lips.

RSRSRS

Sora stepped into the shower, wincing as he did so. He was used to aching muscles, especially after training but this…this was completely different. He ignored as the warm water washed over him, quickly cleaning himself off before hopping out and slipping into his clothes. He and Riku had found the bathroom in the same hallway their room was in and had it would be best for them to take turns.

When he slipped out the door, Riku was waiting.

"Hey," Sora said, slipping into his arms for a quick kiss.

Riku nibbled his bottom lip once before pulling away. "Go ahead and go to the library. I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Okay!" Sora said, beaming at him happily.

He felt extremely optimistic this time, confident that they would find the information they needed. He had a guess that the only reason he felt so confident was because of the events from last night, though he refused to admit it.

When Sora arrived in the library he headed to the shelf he and Riku had been examining yesterday. Next to the thick book he had been reading yesterday was a smaller and slimmer book. The cover was red and felt like cloth and the pages were lined and the handwriting was completely different, messy scrawls of printed letters, not the cursive ones like Ansem.

Curious, he flipped to the front of the book, blue eyes skimming over the first page. It was completely blank except for the very center. The name 'Ienzo' was written in blue ink as well as the date. On the next page, the same date was written and covered with the same messy handwriting.

"Zexion kept a diary?" Riku mused, suddenly appearing behind Sora.

"Riku! Don't scare me like that," Sora cried. "Let's just look. Maybe there's something helpful in here."

Riku settled down behind him, reading aloud over his shoulder. "The strangest thing happened today and I just had to record it myself. Rin was taken over by the darkness while he and I were experimenting in our lab. We got in a fight, about what I can't really remember, but he got angry. I have never seen someone so filled with anger. One instant he was Rin and the next he was a Heartless. The strange thing was, he wasn't a true Heartless. He retained his human shape but had taken on the color of a Heartless, including the yellow eyes. It was then that he attacked me. It's only thanks to Ansem I'm still alive seeing as how my stomach was ripped open and my eye was nearly ripped out."

"Holy crap," Sora breathed. "And who's this Rin? I thought there were only six people who apprenticed under Ansem."

"Let's just keep reading," Riku ordered. "We'll ask Zexion later but I think we're finally on to something."

RSRSRS

Ienzo sighed as Braig slapped an ice pack onto his cheek, the cold slipping beneath his skin and calming the heated bruise that marred his face.

"Rin was acting weird," Ienzo said. "Don't get mad at him."

"He punched ya in the face! An' almost clawed yer damn eye out!" Braig growled. "Of course I blame 'im and of course I'm pissed!"

"Drop it Braig!" Ienzo snapped, a rare display of emotion slipping through.

"Jus' be careful," Braig muttered, running a scarred hand through his long black locks. "An' stay in bed too. Ansem doesn't want ya moving around with that wound."

"I know," Ienzo mumbled, shifting under the scratchy wool covers as he reached for the book on his dresser.

He winced as his healing stomach protested against the movement and moved back to where he was. Braig sighed and grabbed the book, shoving it in the pale boy's hands.

"I'm leavin'. Dilan or Even will check on ya later," he grumbled, storming out of the room.

Soon after, Ansem opened t he door Braig had just departed through. His orange eyes were full of exhaustion and Ienzo wouldn't be surprised if the entire event had added more wrinkles to his already weathered face.

"How is the pain?" he asked, his voice deep.

"I'm fine," Ienzo lied, his good eye finishing up the first page of his book. He turned the page, trying not wince at the pain the small movement caused.

"Don't like," Ansem sighed, pulling a roll of bandages from the folds of his crimson robes. "I'm going to re bandage your stomach. Sit up, if you can."

Ienzo let the book drop to the ground and began to push himself up, his arms shaking from the pain that radiated from his stomach to all of his other limbs. With a sharp cry of pain, he collapsed back onto the hard mattress.

"I see. Just stay where you are then, and don't strain yourself," Ansem ordered, pulling back the sheets and pushing Ienzo's black shirt up.

The once stark white bandages wrapped around his torso were now stained with blood. Ansem slowly unwrapped the bandages, having trouble doing so without causing flashes of pain to flow through the frail body. Eventually, the throbbing gash was exposed to the air and Ienzo hissed as the cool air touched it. Blood seeped out of the stitches, the flesh around it an angry red color and bruised in some places.

"I fear it may be getting infected," Ansem informed him. "I'll bring you antibiotics later. For now, I'll simply rebind it."

Ienzo tore his gaze away from the wound, feeling nauseous just looking at it. A small sob escaped him as Ansem pressed the cloth bandages on the wound and slowly began to wrap them around his torso, ignoring the tears that leaked down pale cheeks. His right eye began to sting as the salty tears mingled in the torn skin beneath his eyes. He pulled the ice away and pushed his bangs up so they wouldn't end up in the wounds.

"Where's Rin?" he breathed.

"I have him locked away right now. His condition has not changed and he is raging around within his confines. I fear he will turn into a full Heartless," Ansem said gravely.

Ienzo sighed as Ansem tugged his shirt back down, slipping a hand to his forehead to hold his hair back so he could stare at his injured eye. He pulled another roll of bandages out as well as a soft pad of cloth. He pressed the cloth to the wound and wrapped the bandage around his head and over the eye, holding the cloth in place.

"I hope he's okay," Ienzo said quietly.

"He signed up for this and he knew the risk. It is only his fault that he ended up the way he is. Don't feel guilty," Ansem said, knowing why Ienzo was feeling bad without even asking.

"I wasn't…" Ienzo trailed off. "Thank you."

"I'll return in an hour. Take care of yourself."

IenzoIenzoIenzo

Ienzo was awoken when his door opened. Ansem stepped through, his expression solemn and small, almost nonexistent tears flicking at the edges of his bright orange eyes. Instantly, Ienzo was put on edge. It was rare for Ansem to display any sort of emotion, especially sadness.

"What happened?" he demanded, trying his best to sit up.

"Rin somehow escaped from his holdings. We were forced to kill him," Ansem said quietly, wringing his hands as he moved closer to Ienzo.

Ienzo froze, his good eye widening

"I have merely come to inform you of this. Even will bring you your dinner shortly."

"But-"

It was too late. Ansem had already disappeared out the door. Ienzo was frozen for several moments, staring straight ahead at the blank wall. Even as he sat there, his mind as blank as the wall, tears running faster and faster from his good eye, the other tears being absorbed through the cloth that covered his injured eye.

The sorrow finally hit him full force and his head fell into his hands, choked sobs clawing out his throat, his shoulders shaking from the effort to keep himself silent only to find it impossible. So what if Rin had attacked him? They had been friends! Ienzo was usually quiet, avoiding the others. But Rin…Rin had been different, understanding of his need to remain unnoticed. Rin had understood him, plain and simple. And now, he was gone.

"Ienzo?" a voice asked, muffled by the door. "I have your food."

The door opened and even stepped inside, paying no mind to the tears. Embarrassing the crying teen was not on his list. He tossed his blond hair over his shoulder after he had set the tray of food on Ienzo's lap. Wordlessly, he pulled a tissue out of his jeans pocket, mopping the teen's face clean and pushing his hair away from the heated skin.

"Rin wouldn't want tears wasted on him. So stop," Even ordered, voice firm but not harsh.

Ienzo nodded. "Sorry that you have to see me like this."

"We all have emotions and we can't help but express them. We're only human," Even said, emerald eyes tired as he straightened up. "I'll come pick up your tray later."

"Thanks," Ienzo sighed.

"Get some rest," Even said, giving him a brief smile. Then he was gone, disappearing out the door.

Ienzo picked at his food for over and hour, unable to find the will to eat it, wishing that he could just die. Studying Heartless no longer seemed appealing after what he had just experienced.

"Ienzo, I'm coming in," Ansem said, knocking once on the door before opening it. He strode in, expression solemn like before.

He approached Ienzo slowly, almost as if he were too deep in thought to concentrate on moving his body. Something was clenched tightly in his hand though Ienzo couldn't see what it was but he felt nervous and on edge.

"Is something wrong sir?" Ienzo asked quietly.

"Take this," Ansem ordered, holding out his hand. A small white pill sat in the middle, lost in the man's large palm. "It'll help.

Ienzo took it hesitantly but popped it in his mouth, downing it quickly with a swig of water. Almost immediately, he felt woozy.

"What is it?" he asked, voice faint as his vision closed in.

"I'm erasing your memories. When you wake, it'll be as if Rin never existed."

**R.I.P Trent**


	34. Chapter 34

"Dang…" Sora breathed.

"It all makes sense now," Riku murmured. "The reason Zexion and the others didn't remember whoever this Rin guy was. Ansem probably erased their memories."

"Do you think that Rezen was…Rin?" Sora asked quietly.

_**That would be right,**_Ansem suddenly said, his voice cutting into Riku's mind after his long absence.

_Get out of my head! I don't want to talk to you or acknowledge you!_ Riku trilled, jolting away from Sora.

_**Calm down! I don't have the strength to fight you! But I have Ansem's memories and I'm telling you, Rin became Rezen. He also turned all of those people into human Heartless. **_

__"Riku?" Sora asked worriedly, gripping Riku's shoulder tightly and shaking him.

"Sorry...Ansem is causing problems again."

"Ansem?" Sora growled, a dark anger entering his eyes. It alarmed Riku.

"He says he isn't going to take me over," Riku said quietly.

"Like we can trust him! He said that last time!" Sora cried.

_I can't over power you anymore,_ Ansem said. _Those human Heartless were my last chance to beat you. Rezen made them for me to draw strength from them. When a human becomes both Heartless and human they become_ _a power source, easy to destroy. If eliminated the correct way, you gain their power. It is also possible to drain them slowly._

Riku quickly relayed the info to Sora and Sora leaned back against the bookcase, expression thoughtful.

"It makes sense but I would never be able to go for that power source. Sure I would get strong but at the loss of all those lives? I don't think so," he said, his voice determined.

"I agree. But we need to head back. We need to talk to the others about this," Riku told him. "For all we know, this could be happening in other places too."

Sora nodded. "Let's go."

RSRSRS

Leon sat at the round table, staring into his mug of coffee blankly. It was one of those days again. The ones when he felt like nothing in the world mattered anymore and the fierce pang of longing for Cloud made itself known. Aerith sighed as she walked into the room.

"Brooding won't make him appear," she told him, crossing the floor and sitting down next to him. "Sadly, we can only wait and make do with what we have. We'll welcome him with open doors when he returns."

"But what if he died fighting Sephiroth? It's been seven months since he vanished! He would be back by now if he had won!"

Aerith was startled that Leon had actually shouted, though she didn't show it. "Calm down Leon. I am confident he isn't dead."

"You can't know that!" Leon raged.

"Is this a bad time?" Sora asked as he and Riku walked inside.

Leon glanced at them, his stormy gaze freezing them both on the spot. Then he was shoving them aside, walking away from them and heading for the castle.

"Don't worry about him. Cloud being gone just worries him," Aerith said, green eyes sad. "But…did you find anything?"

"Yes actually. We want to wait for everyone else though," Sora told her. "It's too hard to explain it that many times."

"Alright. I'll go get them," Aerith said, quickly heading up the stairs.

Riku and Sora sat down at the table, waiting for the others to appear. The first to descend the stairs was Marluxia. His expression was dark and dangerously serious. He sat down next to Sora silently, not responding at all to either Sora or Riku's glances. Vexen arrived just the same, sitting beside Marluxia. Slowly, the rest trickled in though Yuffie and Cid remained absent.

"So what have you discovered? Zexion asked, arms folded across his chest and single lilac eye focused on both of them.

"Well, you aren't going to like this," Riku started. "But I need to ask you if the name Rin sounds familiar."

Zexion closed his eye, his frown deepening as he rolled the name around in his mind, trying to find some familiarity within it. After several moments he shook his head.

"Alright…what would you guys say if I told you Ansem erased your memories of Rin?" Riku asked.

"What?" Axel snarled, getting to his feet.

"Well actually, more specifically, the memories of your somebodies," Sora told them. "But even then, only Xigbar, Xaldin, Vexen, Lexaeus, and Ienzo would have the capability of remembering him. He was one of Ansem's apprentices."

"It's still ridiculous," Vexen cut in.

"Namine can play around with memories. What makes you think Ansem couldn't?" Riku cut in.

Namine winced at this but didn't speak.

"So…this Rin," Zexion started. "What do you know about him?"  
"Well…Rin and Ienzo were friends was Rin unfortunately became a human Heartless. Ansem the Wise was forced to kill him. With Rezen, at least that's what the Heartless Ansem says. Apparently both Rezen and Ansem are able to draw strength from any human Heartless," Riku began.

"This far too complicated for me to deal with," Luxord suddenly interrupted. "All this talk of human Heartless and forgotten memories. You have my loyalty. I'll fight for you. But as far as the rest of this goes, count me out."

The blond man stood up, tugging the sleeves of his black cloak to fit him better and then stalked for the stairs. At first, no one said anything. Finally, Xigbar spoke.

"He has a point. He'll fight for you but as far as the rest of this goes, it's much too complicated to deal with," Xigbar said. "I'm staying though. I want to know how the fuck Ansem was able to erase my memories."

"I could dig the memories out for you," Namine said quietly. "Well, of one of you. I'd have to take your memories apart first and then chain them back together again. I can't be totally sure which memory will be lost in the process so if you think it's too big of a risk to take…"

_**Why do that when I can tell you all the information on Rezen that you need?**_Ansem asked.

"Ansem is suggesting we trust him to tell us about Rezen," Riku spoke. "What do you think?"

"I have a better idea," Marluxia suddenly broke in.

"Marluxia!" Vexen hissed.

"Shut up Vexen and let me talk!" Marluxia barked, eyes flashing angrily.

Sora was startled at the raw anger in Marluxia's voice. "What is it?"

"This has nothing to do with Rezen but I think I should go in and spy on Xemnas. I know how to draw him out and I'll request to work with them again. I can figure out their plans and report back to you," Marluxia told them, his eyes locking with Sora's.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Vexen hissed, his own green eyes flashing as well. "The risk is too big! You're already known as a betrayer to him and he'd never trust you! He'd kill you on the spot!"

"It's a good idea," Xigbar broke in. "I say we go for it."

"It is too dangerous," Sora said, siding with Vexen immediately. "I mean, Vexen does have a point. Xemnas would never trust you enough to give you any valuable information."

"I agree with Sora," Kairi said.

"So we send someone else. Someone Xemnas could trust," Riku said slowly. "Someone who never outright betrayed him. Someone who could say he was forced into a position he didn't want to be in."

"Who are you suggesting?" Zexion asked, eye narrowed.

"Vexen," Riku answered. "I mean, you were with him when you first appeared and Marluxia instantly took you away afterwards. You have perfectly good material to make up a believable story about why you want to join him."

"Absolutely not," Marluxia hissed.

"So you're allowed to risk your life but I'm not?" Vexen growled.

"Oh dear," Namine squeaked as Marluxia stood up.

"I'm going and that's final," he stated, his gaze daring anyone to try and oppose him.

"It's risky," Sora told him. "It would be better if Vexen went."

"I'm going."

The two words shook everyone in the room to their core. Sheer dominance was in the voice, allowing no room for questioning or protesting. It was a simple fact and it was to be accepted.

"Fine. Go. If you die, don't say I didn't warn you," Vexen hissed, standing up as well. "You may continue the meeting without me."

Vexen disappeared up the stairs before anyone could speak. Marluxia quickly opened a portal and disappeared and an awkward, tense silence filled the room, pressing in around everyone as they struggled for words to say after the recent events.

"There's still the manner of Rin to address," Zexion said, finally breaking the silence.

"Right," Riku agreed, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. "Does anyone want to have their memories taken apart?"

"I will. I don't really mind," Xigbar said with a shrug.

"Alright. Let's go. It shouldn't take too long," Namine said quietly, standing up and heading for the stairs. Xigbar trailed after her leaving Sora, Riku, Kairi, Roxas, Axel, Zexion, Demyx and Aerith in the room.

"Someone should go talk to Vexen," Zexion commented. "I highly doubt he's okay right now."

"I'll go," Demyx volunteered. He quickly headed up the stairs.

"The rest of you should get some rest. I'm guessing you're heading out for the next world tomorrow?" Aerith asked.

"Yes," Riku said with a nod.

"Alright. I'll go find Leon."

RSRSRS

Envy growled angrily, kicking the wall and letting out a scream of rage when it caved in, displaying the hallway on the other side. Larxene was just walking by and stared at him, surprised at the crushed wall.

"Anger management much?" she sneered.

"You're one to talk!" Envy snarled.

"Oh shut up! Why are you so angry?" she demanded.

"Rezen. I hate answering to him," Envy sniffed. "I'm above him and he orders me around."

"If you're above him then why is he able to kill you, hm?" Larxene cooed, smirking when Envy's face became even more angered.

"I'd be able to kill you," Envy growled.

"Peh. Yeah right," Larxene sniffed, glancing away from him almost as if he was worthy of her gaze.

"You attack with lightning, don't you?" Envy asked, a smirk splitting his lips.

"Yeah…why do you care?" Larxene asked, her eyes glancing at him briefly.

"Attack me then. With all you've got. Hit me in the head, the heart, wherever. I dare you," he said, grinning broadly when she turned to face him head on.

She whipped out her kunais in seconds, jumping back a short distance until she was backed up against the other wall. Then she let them fall, lightning lacing the blades as one plunged into his eye, the other straight through his head and thudding into the wall, and the last plunging right into his heart.

Envy groaned and brought his hand up to the one in his eye, ripping it out, both the eye and the weapon. He paid no heed to the blood that washed onto the ground and tossed the kunai to Larxene's feet. He did the same with the other and by the time he looked at her, the wounds had healed and his eye had grown back.

"You can't kill me. You don't stand a chance," Envy told her. "But that aside, what's got your panties in a knot?"

Larxene quickly regained her composure. "Nothing!"

"Oh? So you're always like this?" he asked, smirking as her expression contorted in rage.

"No! It's just…_Marluxia_ came back," she grumbled. The name was full of pure hatred.

"And that would be who?" Envy asked.

"He betrayed us before and yet Xemnas welcomes him with open arms! It's grating on my nerves!" she wailed, whirling around and ramming her fist into the wall, not minding when her knuckles crunched on impact. They were already bruising when she turned back to Envy, a smile on her face. "I have an idea."

"Really now?" Envy asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

"What do you think of this…"

RSRSRS

"So what is our next move?" Saix asked.

He, Xemnas, and Rezen sat around a small table in Xemnas's quarters. Rezen still hadn't revealed his face, deciding to keep his features hidden from them.

"I have an idea on how we could get another ally and eliminate an enemy in the process," Rezen said quietly, taking a sip of the wine in front of him. "Interested?"

"Of course," Xemnas answered.

"Well…Riku harbor's the soul of Xehanort's Heartless within him. A long time ago, I gave Ansem a secret weapon should he ever need it. I have told you of the human Heartless I have implanted in Amestris. Ansem can draw strength from these hybrids. If I created another reserve of strength for him, one far stronger than the one I created before he could overtake Riku in a heartbeat," Rezen explained.

"I see. This could be very helpful indeed. Do it. I don't care where you create them, just do it and make sure that Ansem is able to take control of him."

"Killing two birds with one stone," Saix murmured. "A very wise move, Superior."

"Well," Rezen sighed. "Ansem didn't have the strength to conquer Riku even with an entire city of human Heartless. I'll need to create at least two more cities and it will drain my strength immensely."

"I'll send someone to help you," Xemnas told him. "They can help you get back."

"Who do you wish to accompany him, Superior?" Said asked, rising silently to his feet.

"Go get Lexaeus. I wish to speak with Rezen alone," Xemnas ordered.

The two exchanged a look, the promise to fill him in later stopping Saix from arguing. The blue haired man swept out of the room elegantly, sealing the door behind him with a dull thud.

"What is it?" Rezen asked. "What could be so important that you had to send your oh so loyal servant away?"

"There's something I need to ask you about. What is it about you that is so familiar?" Xemnas muttered, his orange eyes piercing Rezen.

"Oh well, you'll just have to see for yourself, won't you?" Rezen said, a bitter laugh escaping his lips.

Black gloved hands rose to the hood of the long black cloak and yanked it down. Xemnas's eyes widened, slight fear in them.

"Oh, I see."

RSRSRS

"Vexen, it's me," Demyx called, knocking a few times on the other blond's door. There was the sound of footsteps and then the door eased open.

Vexen moved back to his bed, sitting down on it and gazing out the window as Demyx stepped inside. The room was dark except for the small window Vexen gazed out of. Sighing, Demyx plopped down next to him.

"You shouldn't worry Vexen," Demyx told him, gently patting his shoulder. "Marluxia can take care of himself, you know that."

"He's being stupid. I know why he's doing it too," Vexen muttered. "He told me and it doesn't even make sense at all seeing as how he didn't kill Axel."

Demyx's blue eyes widened in fear. "What are you talking about?"

Vexen still didn't face him and Demyx let his hand drop to fist in the sheets. "Larxene. In her somebody's life, her name was Lerena and she was good friends with Marluxia's somebody, Aui. Alex, Axel's somebody, had his parents die. Alex decided to get back at Aui and Lerena, blaming them for his parent's death. He killed Aui's but spared Lerena's because he was in love with her and felt that he shouldn't. Marluxia has been hurting about it for sometime now.

"I suppose he feels this way because now Aui's memories are implanted within him. Aui hated Lerena with a passion upon realizing that Lerena's parents weren't murdered like his and grew to hate _himself_ for feeling such anger towards her. His dark feelings consumed him and he became a Heartless as well as Marluxia.

"I'm guessing since he can't kill Axel, he has decided to hunt down Larxene. She was more connected with his becoming a Heartless anyways. Or maybe he wasn't. Maybe she was just the final push he needed. I don't know. But that's the true reason Marluxia left. Yes he wants to help us, but he cares more about murdering Larxene. Now that we're human, when we die, we're gone for good."

Demyx didn't speak after Vexen finished. He had no idea what to say. He had no idea Marluxia dealt with such dark feelings. He had no idea how to make Vexen feel any better about what Marluxia had done. In an attempt to feel what Vexen was going through, he tried to imagine what it would be like for Zexion to decide that revenge was more important than their love.

"Vexen," Demyx murmured. "Look…I have no idea what you could possibly be feeling. But I can guess."

"How does that help?" Vexen snapped, whirling to face Demyx.

Demyx's eyes widened again when he saw tears pouring out of emerald pools. Vexen was crying? Since when was the man capable of doing so? Well there was the fact that they now had emotions but…Vexen?!?

"It doesn't matter now. Marluxia has found something more important to focus on," Vexen said, turning to face the window again.

"He'll come back. You know that. He's much stronger than Larxene," Demyx assured him.

Vexen nodded, still not looking at him. "You should go and be with Zexion. You haven't had a lot of time to yourselves with everything that's been going on."

"Are you going to be okay?" Demyx asked, not wanting to leave Vexen in an unstable state.

"I'll be fine, Demyx. Go on," Vexen ordered.

Demyx sighed. Then he stood, patted Vexen's shoulder, and left the room.

RSRSRS

"Larxene…" Marluxia hissed, clenching his fists. He was so close to killing her. So close to reaching his revenge. Yet he didn't know how.

Unlike all the other times he had killed people, he couldn't go full out against her. It would attract way too much attention and he would once again be branded a traitor and most likely executed. He stood no chance against all five of the other members, plus there was Envy and Rezen to take on.

Marluxia figured he was killing two birds with one stone. He got his revenge, and he had learned valuable information about Rezen's plan to help Ansem and destroy Riku. The fact that Rezen had joined Xemnas was valuable information. And besides, even if he did disappear, it wasn't like Xemnas knew where he was hiding so he would be perfectly safe.

Now, the matter of killing Larxene. The only quick and silent method he could think of was somehow sneaking into her room and murdering her in her sleep. But there were so many details he had to deal with. Larxene was known to be somewhat insomniac so catch her when she was sleeping would be impossible. The only way he could kill her was too catch her off guard when she was awake.

"This is going to be impossible," Marluxia grumbled, opening the door to his room.

He sat down on his bed, frowning in concentration. There had to be a way to distract her long enough to slip his blade through her heart. He grimaced. "Oh there's a way. I just don't want to do it."

RSRSRS

"Zexion," Demyx murmured, stepping into the library. It was always the place to look for the slate haired man.

He was right, of course. Zexion was stretched out along the black leather couch, a book in his hands. Demyx noted it was a different one then from before and grinned.

"You read too fast, you know that Zexy?" he asked, sitting down by Zexion's feet.

Zexion laid the book on his stomach, looking over at the blond. Then he dropped the book on the ground and sat up to look at Demyx head on.

"What's wrong?" Zexion asked. "Something _is_ wrong."

"Actually no. I just haven't seen you in awhile," Demyx said, giving him a quick smile.

Zexion stared at him. "Stop lying now."

Demyx sighed. "Fine. It's just I finally realized what a bastard Marluxia was."

Zexion raised a fine eyebrow. "Took you that long?"

"Zexy! I'm being serious!" Demyx whined. "It's just…he left Vexen for revenge!"

Zexion's lilac eye flashed. "What are you talking about?"

"Marly doesn't care about helping us! He only wants to kill Larxene! He doesn't care about getting information for us!" Demyx cried.

"He is so dead when he gets back!" Zexion hissed, jolting to his feet.

Demyx tugged him back down. "Calm down Zexion. I'm angry too but there's nothing we can do right now. We'll just have to wait until Marluxia gets back."

Zexion sighed, closing his lilac eye. "He is so dead."

RSRSRS

Xemnas slowly examined the man before him. His hair was short and silver, except for in the very front. A thin lock of hair framed each side of his face, following the delicate jaw line. His skin was creamy, giving him a feminine appearance. Small round sunglasses shielded his eyes completely from view but at that moment, a leather gloved hand reached up and plucked the glasses from his face. Navy blue irises surrounded golden pupils, ocean water excluding an island from the outside world.

"Interesting eyes," Xemnas commented.

"You're one to talk," Rezen said dryly.

"I've seen those eyes one other place. Strange, I can't remember where," Xemnas continued.

"Maybe this will help. Does the name Rin sound at all familiar?"

Xemnas's eyes widened but before he could speak, Rezen interrupted.

"Your dog approaches. We'll continue this conversation later," he said, slipping the shades back on and flipping the hood back up to shroud his face in darkness.

As if on cue, the door opened and Saix stepped in, Lexaeus on his heels.

"We have returned, Superior," Saix announced.

"Your dog is so well trained. I should learn y our methods so Envy will obey me," Rezen said, attempting small talk as Saix and Lexaeus quickly sat.

Though Saix's expression remained unchanged, a visible flush rose to his cheeks. Xemnas merely smirked.

"I don't think my methods would work on Envy," Xemnas told him, voice neutral.

"We should leave now," Lexaeus interrupted.

"Ah, yes. I leave Envy in your care, Xemnas. Or should I call you Superior?" Rezen asked.

Xemnas's lips twitched into a frown. "That would be fitting, give our positions, wouldn't it now?"

"Yes, it would. I'll return soon, Superior," Rezen said.

Lexaeus nodded and the two vanished through a portal.

"You look angry, Saix. Why?" Xemnas asked.

"Jealousy," Saix replied, unashamed of the fact.

Xemnas stood and walked towards Saix. "Don't be. You know where my feelings lie. Now, don't you want to know what I discovered about Rezen?"


	35. Chapter 35

"Larxene," Marluxia said, knocking on the Savage Nymph's door.

"What do you want, Flower Boy?" her voice snarled from the other side.

"Just want to talk," Marluxia answered, attempting to keep his nerve and not shoot himself over about what he was about to do.

"Fine!"

Marluxia took a deep breath and walked inside, eyes widening when Larxene suddenly threw a kunai in his direction. With a hissed curse, he ducked and slammed the door shut. The kunai sunk into the wood with a dull thud and Marluxia whirled to face Larxene.

"What the hell?!"

Larxene smirked. "I can never lower my guard around you. Just making sure you weren't coming in here to murder me you backstabbing-"

"About that," Marluxia interrupted, crossing the room to sit beside her on the black covered bed.

"What?" she snapped, her kunais, which she still clenched tightly in her fists, sparking.

Marluxia sighed. "Calm down, please. I'm not here to kill you. I'm actually here to talk to you about um…well…before."

Larxene's green eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Which before…?"  
"The one when we were uh…"

"Fucking?" Larxene finished, smirking at Marluxia's grimace. "Since when did you become so soft? Oh that's right, when you decided to get with that pansy Vexen."

Marluxia kept his reaction down, fighting the urge to smack her across the face. That wouldn't work for what he was planning.

"Yes, that. And you must've realized there was a reason I've come back. Vexen is like you said, a pansy. He can't handle my needs."

With each word, Marluxia wanted to bash his head against a wall. He promised to himself to make it up to the ice fighter later.

"I knew it," Larxene said, turning her nose up in the air. _All according to plan. I'm a genius._ "So you came back just for me, didn't you?"  
"Yes, I admit it," Marluxia murmured, eyelids drooping slightly. "I'm still madly in love with you, Larxene."

Larxene's eyes widened. She hadn't been expecting that. _Ah well. His pain will be all the more pleasurable when I betray him._ She quickly leaned forward, sealing her lips against his in a possessive kiss.

Marluxia accepted it, allowing himself to be pushed back on the mattress and for his hips to be straddled by the short haired blond. Her hands moved quickly to his jacket, seizing the zipper and yanking it down roughly as her lips continued to dominate his. She drew away for a breath and whispered,

"You…are…mine!"

RSRSRS

"So…Rezen is Rin. And Rin was one of the apprentices that studied under Ansem the Wise," Saix said. "That's a lot to take in."

He was curled up to Xemnas's side on the man's bed as Xemnas's fingers twirled in his hair, expression thoughtful.

"I wonder about him though. There is no way we can possibly trust him. Plus there's Envy. He's a total loose cannon," Xemnas muttered. "We need to find away to get them both under control."

"I will gladly throw my life away to subdue Rezen for you," Saix told him, no hesitating in his words at all.

"I won't make you do that. In fact, I want you to be more careful in future battles," Xemnas said, shifting to make himself more comfortable. Saix's head moved to his stomach.

"But-"

"It's an order."

"Yes, Superior," Saix said, voice neutral. "I'll obey your commands, as you wish me to. But can I ask why?"

"You could've been killed last time. I don't want to risk it."

"I'm stronger than the others," Saix said. "You shouldn't hold me back like this."

"I told you, it's an order. Don't argue, just obey."

RSRSRS

"So whose all coming with us this time?" Sora asked, glancing around the table as they ate dinner. Leon still hadn't returned and Namine was still working on Xigbar's memories.

"Oh, let me go!" Yuffie cried, not caring that she had a mouthful of food.

"Ew, gross!" Demyx protested, wiping something off his face.

"Let me go! Oh please, please, please!" Yuffie continued after swallowing.

"Why do you want to go so bad?" Kairi asked.

"Well I stole that scroll with all the coordinates on it-"

"You-" Riku started.

Yuffie continued on. "And I recognized the coordinates from the scroll I stole from Vinny which means he'll be at your next stop!"

"Vinny…?" Sora asked.

"Give us the freaking scroll back," Riku growled. He was once again ignored.

"She's madly in love with Vincent," Aerith said, not caring what she had told the ninja's secret. "He's an old friend of ours."

"Oh! Aerith!" Yuffie whined. "Why'd you have to go and say that?"

"You can come with us," Kairi interrupted.

"Does anyone care that she stole our things?" Riku demanded.

"As long as she gives it back," Sora said, glancing at the dark haired ninja with a silent order to return the scroll in his eyes.

She nodded, smiling brightly. "Of course I will! I'll go get it right now!"

She vanished up the stairs seconds later and yet another silence fell over them. Vexen broke it then, startling and surprising them all.

"I'm going with you," he said, not looking up from his food.

"Any specific reason?" Demyx asked, already having a guess. He knew Vexen just wanted to busy himself until Marluxia returned.

"That is personal, Number Nine. Mind your own business," Vexen said, his voice reminding them of why he had been called the Chilly Academic.

"Yes sir," Demyx squeaked, not wanting to anger the man further.

"So Marluxia should be returning soon. He'll kill Larxene and return, regardless if he gained any information," Zexion suddenly broke in.

"What?" Riku asked.

"It's the truth," Vexen sighed, finally looking up. "It has to do with his somebody's past. Revenge."

"Like when I killed his parents. I didn't kill Lerena's. That must be why," Axel said softly.

"Don't blame yourself for this. You can't shoulder the blame every time," Vexen told him.

"Solve it with this," Luxord suggested, shoving a bottle into Axel's hand.

Roxas tugged it away and shoved it back at Luxord. "Don't listen to him. He's not smart at solving problems."

"Shut up," Luxord growled.

"I knew that, Roxas. So what are we going to do to Marluxia when he gets back?" Axel asked, wanting to know just how far everyone else's anger went to. Marluxia was a fool if he thought he could get away with it.

"We'll decide that later though personally I'd like to beat him upside the head," Zexion said coolly.

"It doesn't matter now," Aerith interjected. "Just wait for him to get back, maybe he did find some information for you. I don't think he would just outright use you guys like that. He doesn't seem like that type of person."

"You must not really know Marluxia then," Luxord snorted.

"Shut up," Vexen snapped.

"How about we all are quiet before a fight breaks out?" Namine suggested, appearing at the stairs.

"How's Xigbar?" Sora asked.

"He's fine. He's sleeping now and recovering. When he wakes, he'll be able to tell you everything he knows about Rin," Namine told them, taking a seat next to Kairi. "What's going on?"  
"I'll fill you in later," Kairi sighed. "It's complicated."

RSRSRS

Marluxia let his eyes flicker open, slowly letting them adjust to the dark room. Larxene was asleep beside him, the soft sound of her breathing almost lulling him back to sleep. He slipped out from beneath the black covers and quickly redressed. As he did so, he pulled a vial out of his cloak pocket.

He held it up to the window, crepuscular light shining through the glass bottle. The liquid inside was perfectly clear. It was from Vexen's room and he had stolen it before they had gone down to dinner, guessing that he would end up leaving without having a chance to stock up on anything he might need. He popped the cap off and dipped his finger inside, drawing it out and then coating the liquid thoroughly on his lips.

Ignoring the sting, he approached Larxene's sleeping form. Gently, he grasped her pale and smooth shoulder, shaking her awake. With a grunt she woke, turning to face him, green eyes sleepy.

"Hey," he whispered softly, leaning over her.

She leaned up and seized his lips in a kiss. His eyes slid close as their lips and then pulled back, nuzzling her neck before suddenly smirking.

He drew away, laugher echoing around the room as he did so. Larxene licked her lips, eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"What the hell Marluxia? What's so damn funny?" she hissed, sitting up when she tasted something on her tongue, clutching the sheet to her chest.

His laughter didn't stop even after he wiped his lips with the back of his hand. Fear grew within Larxene but she tried not to show it. What was the weird taste in her mouth? And why did she suddenly feel so dizzy?

"Oh, dear Larxene," Marluxia cooed after his laughing had ceased. "You don't even realize what's happened, do you?"

"What did you do, bastard?" she growled.

Marluxia stepped closer to her, moving to hover over her once again. None to gently, he shoved her back on the mattress.

"I knew what you and Envy were planning," Marluxia said, smirking as he softly stroked her cheek. "You should really be quieter when discussing your plans. But you see, before I came here, I was already planning on killing you."

"You…what?" Larxene panted. For some reason, it felt like her lungs were no longer working, almost as if they weren't there at all.

"You are directly connected to me becoming a Nobody, _Lerena,_" Marluxia murmured. "I needed my revenge on you. So I came here to act as a spy when in reality I was only here to kill you. I knew I couldn't just come at you with my scythe, so I stole one of Vexen's poisons. That kiss I just gave you…let's just say that poison is acting on your internal organs as we speak, slowly breaking everyone of them down."

Larxene opened her mouth to speak only to find that she couldn't. Desperate, she clawed at her throat as tears began to blur her eyes before streaming down them.

"There go your vocal chords," Marluxia said. "Revenge is brilliant, no?"

Larxene shook her head furiously as her tears ran faster, hotter.

"I never loved you," Marluxia breathed in her ear. "I never will. I hate you and so does everyone else. Enjoy your time in hell, Savage Nymph."

RSRSRS

Envy moved down the hallway, heading for Larxene's room. It was ten thirty at night. She had told him that she would've killed Marluxia by that time and to come find her when she was done. With Marluxia out of the way, they wouldn't have to worry about any more nuisances and could continue on with their plan to remove both Rezen and Xemnas and take over completely.

Envy knocked on the door. "Hey gorgeous, open the door."

The door opened but instead of the constantly angry blond he had been expecting the pink haired man, Marluxia, opened the door. Envy's eyes instantly narrowed and his first reaction was to punch the man in the face. So he did, or at least tried to.

His fist smashed into the pink metal of Marluxia's scythe and he leapt back, shaking his wrist at the stringing pain.

"You traitor," Envy hissed.

"Oh but so are you. You were planning to kill me and overthrow the organization, weren't you?" Marluxia asked, stepping closer to Envy, pinning him to a wall with the scythe. "Take my advice. Don't do it."

Envy's lips twisted into a snarl and he ripped Marluxia's scythe out of his hands, tossing it down the hallway. Marluxia forced it to vanish into rose petals and then whirled on Envy, seizing him by a fistful of green hair and slammed him against a wall. Envy lashed out with his feet, kicking Marluxia in the gut with his superior strength and forcing Marluxia to slam against the opposite wall, denting it.

He coughed and fell to his hands and knees only to have Envy's knee smash into his nose, forcing him back into the wall again. Envy moved to punch him but with the last of his strength, Marluxia opened a portal. Despite the bleeding nose and wheezing breath, he still managed to look dignified as he stood up, staggering slightly, and said,

"You haven't seen the last of me, Envy."

Before Envy could react, Marluxia had disappeared. Enraged, Envy screamed and then burst into Larxene's room, flicking the light switch and moving towards the bed. Larxene lay there, wrapped in the black silk sheets and green eyes wide as they stared listlessly at the ceiling. He checked her pulse, cursing when he found it was gone. He would murder Marluxia for ruining his last chance of breaking free.

RSRSRS

Vexen opened the pack he had brought with him, stowing away several bottles of his poison. He paused then, looking at the shelf he stowed his poisons on, eyes narrowing when he realized one of them was missing.

"Marluxia," Vexen growled. "You are so dead when you get back."

"I might be if you don't help," Marluxia panted, staggering through a portal.

Alarmed, Vexen spun around. Marluxia was kneeling on the ground, blood pouring from his nose and clutching at his stomach.

"Marluxia? What happened?"

"Just heal me," Marluxia hissed.

Vexen scrambled to obey, quickly casting Curaga several times. Marluxia winced as his nose snapped into place along with the two broken ribs. Slowly, the blood stopped and Vexen hurriedly cleaned the mess. He helped Marluxia stand and then helped him over to the bed.

"So, happy you got your revenge?" Vexen sniffed.

"Vex…it wasn't just revenge. Despite what you think, I did want to gather information," Marluxia said. "But…I am really sorry."

Vexen frowned. "What for now?"

"Well, I had to get Larxene to lower her guard. The only way I could do that-"

"You bastard," Vexen hissed, getting what Marluxia was hinting at.

Vexen began to move away but Marluxia snapped his hand out, seizing his arm and dragging the other man on top of him.

"Marluxia, let go," Vexen growled, pushing himself away only to have hands grip his shoulders and yank him down.

Vexen felt the will to fight die when Marluxia's warm and smooth lips slid over his. Marluxia's hands slid up his neck and tangled with the smooth blond locks as Vexen shifted into a more comfortable position on the flower man's lap. Marluxia winced as his stomach gave a painful twinge and Vexen pulled back completely.

"I still haven't forgiven you. It'll take awhile for you to earn my trust back. But right now…you need rest," Vexen murmured. "So just go to sleep."

"Stay with me?"

Vexen sighed. "Alright."

RSRSRS

Xigbar groaned when he woke, his head pounding to the beat of his heart.

"You're alive," Zexion stated, somewhere off to his right.

Xigbar opened his eye, turning to face the smaller man despite how his muscles protested against the movement. "Who're you?" he asked blearily.

Zexion sighed. _It seems the memory sacrificed was of me. At least it wasn't someone more important. _"I'm an old friend. You gave up your memory of me for the memories of Rin." Zexion flipped a notebook open. "Let's hear it."

Xigbar hesitated, obviously feeling awkward in such a position. Finally, Zexion stood up from the chair he had been sitting in. He could already tell that this was going nowhere, very fast.

"Never mind. I'll bring someone you actually _do_ remember," Zexion said before disappearing out the door.

He tramped down the stairs to where Axel, Demyx, Yuffie, and Luxord were playing cards. A low hum of the television came from the connecting room, a signal that Aerith and Namine were too smart to try and win a game against Luxord.

"Xigbar woke up," Zexion called. "Unfortunately, he doesn't remember me so I need someone else to question him."

"I'll do it. I'm losing anyways," Axel said, tossing his cards on the table.

"You were expecting tow in?" Zexion inquired, quirking a fine eyebrow.

"Shut up," Axel grumbled as the two headed up the stairs.

"Where are the others?" Zexion asked.

"Sleeping. Well, Vexen said he was going to pack for tomorrow. Cid is working on the computer and Leon is still gone," Axel replied.

"I'm going to talk to Vexen. There's a journal in Xigbar's room so I want you to record everything. Don't miss a single detail," Zexion instructed.

"Yes, sir," Axel said, giving him a mock salute and a grin before disappearing within the confines of Xigbar's room.

Zexion continued down the hall to Vexen's room. He opened the door without knocking only to freeze at what he saw. Marluxia was back only he was asleep, curled up into Vexen's side. Vexen, however, was awake and shot Zexion a warning glance that clearly stated, _Wake him and I'll freeze your balls off._

Zexion sighed, his own glance saying Marluxia was in for it later.

RSRSRS

The next morning dawned early, light streaming into the almost completely white room Xemnas sat in. A meeting had once again been called and everyone had arrived, everyone except Larxene anyways.

"So Marluxia was a traitor. That leaves…four of us, five counting Lexaeus and six counting Rezen. We are greatly outnumbered," Xemnas stated.

"You think?" Envy spat, arms crossed and gaze averted.

"I recommend you do not insult the Superior again unless you wish to be without your head," Saix said quietly.

"Eh, whatever, it'll grow back," Envy muttered.

Xemnas continued on as if he hadn't heard Envy. "For this reason I am sending both Xaldin and Saix to go to the three worlds Sora has already visited. Talk to his enemies, we know he has them, and offer them a place among our ranks."

"Yes, Superior. I will return as quickly as I can," Saix said, standing up and opening a dark portal.

Xaldin gave Xemnas a silent nod and did the same, disappearing moment after Saix.

"And why the hell can't I go?" Envy growled.

"Well, for one you have no method of transportation. Second, I don't trust you," Xemnas answered, smirking when Envy's expression became enraged.

"You don't want me as an enemy," Envy grumbled. "Trust me. You are human now, I am not. You wouldn't stand a chance."

"But Rezen can kill you. How, I do not know. But if you killed me, you would die as well. Now please, dispose of Larxene's body for me."

Envy opened his mouth to retort but then clamped it shut. "Yes, _Superior!_"


	36. Chapter 36

**Oh. My. God. It only took what? A million months for the NEW chapter? (sigh) I apologize profusely because waiting this long is unacceptable. Please enjoy the new chapter! I don't own Naruto, Kingdom Hearts, or any of the characters except for Rezen within. ^^**

"So you've come back?" Riku said quietly.

Marluxia stopped at the base of the stairs, taking in the glares he received from everyone sitting around the table. Vexen stood behind him and gave him a small nudge, urging him forward.

"Yes. And I do have information before any of you jump to conclusions," Marluxia said stiffly, sitting down across from Riku. Aerith rushed to get him a plate of pancakes. "It mainly concerns you, Riku."

"Alright, what is it?" Riku asked, setting his fork down so he could look directly at Marluxia.

"Rezen is planning on setting up several cities full of human Heartless. He wants to give Ansem enough strength to overpower you, once and for all. I have no idea what world he is targeting right now but I know that before long, all of those worlds will have at least two cities full of human Heartless," Marluxia reported.

Riku leaned back, fear seeping into his eyes. Sora gripped his hand tightly under the table in an attempt to calm the other down.

"It's okay Riku. You don't have to come with us," Sora said softly. "It wouldn't be safe if you did."

"But I-"

"Don't object," Axel sighed. "Sora's right. You'll just have to deal with staying here with everyone else. You can help recruit allies from past worlds with Roxy and I."

"No way! I have to-"

"Just listen to the others," said a voice, the front door creaking open.

All gazes turned to the door. Leon stood there, eyes tired and expression filled with sorrow. It was then everyone realized what he was carrying on his back, or more specifically, who.

"Is that Cloud?" Yuffie exclaimed.

Aerith rushed into the room upon hearing Yuffie's exclamation, nearly dropping the plate of food when she saw Cloud's limp and bloody form on Leon's back. "Cloud…"

"He's near death. Take care of him," Leon ordered.

"All of you, clear the table now!" barked a voice.

A woman walked through the door behind Leon, brown hair swishing near her waist. No one mentioned the tears that streaked down her face even as she helped clear the tables.

"Tifa," Yuffie said quietly. "He'll be okay."

"We'll see," Tifa said, voice grim as Leon set the blond man down and stretched out across the table.

Blood pulsed heavily from a gash in his stomach while another, thinner, wound stretched from his right shoulder to the middle of his chest. Countless other small gashes littered his body and a limp, black, bat-like wing stretched out from his back. It was huge and the thin membrane was slashed through in several places, more blood pulsing from it.

"Move aside guys. I'll take care of this," Aerith said, taking a deep breath as she gripped her staff tightly.

The staff began to glow a light green and the room went completely silent. Aerith's eyes slipped close as a wind stirred around her, ruffling her brown hair and pink dress briefly. The light spiraled up the staff and gathered in the air before plunging into Cloud. He glowed for a short period of time and slowly, the gaping wounds began to close.

First the one across his stomach, then the one on his shoulder. Next was the one in the mysterious wing followed by several of the smaller ones. As soon as the wing was healed it curled in, disappearing seconds later and leaving the group slightly mystified by it. Aerith stopped healing then, breath coming in short gasps.

"His muscles were completely torn apart. That's the best I can do for now. If someone could cast Curaga I think-" She never finished her sentence for she had dropped into a dead faint. Tifa managed to catch the woman before she hit the ground, grabbing the staff and tossing it to Yuffie.

Yuffie barely managed to catch it. "What now?" she asked, voice wavering.

"I'll cast Curaga," Kairi said. "Maybe you should take Aerith to her room."

"Right," Tifa agreed, heading for the stairs as Kairi began the spell. Yuffie cast a worried glance at Cloud and then followed after Tifa.

Namine moved to stand beside Cloud and then looked up at Leon. "Do you mind if I check his memories? I want to see how the fight with the two of them went."

"Will he forget anything?" Leon asked warily.

"No. I won't be unchaining anything. He'll be fine," Namine assured him.

"Go ahead then."

Namine rested her hand against the man's forehead and let her eyes slip close. Several minutes passed and no one said a word though Luxord had decided to go check on Xigbar. Finally, Namine drew away.

"He and Sephiroth went to a destroyed city, some world I don't know about. They fought and Cloud was severely wounded. He went into hiding for a really long time because the injury took so long to heal. He was constantly on the run from Sephiroth. They fought again and he won. Then he appeared in the castle, where you were, Leon," Namine reported.

"So he was hiding for the majority of those seven months," Leon said quietly. "And the destroyed city…"

"It was probably Nibelhiem," Yuffie said as she descended the stairs, Tifa behind her. "Or Midgar or Edge…or anywhere really. That entire world is a wasteland now."

Her voice was sad and Sora spoke. "What world are you talking about?"

"Our old one. The one before Hollow Bastion and Traverse City. Sephiroth destroyed it," Tifa answered. "It's no surprise they went there to fight."

"What do we do now?" Sora asked.

"I'll go take care of Cloud," Leon said softly. "And you should probably continue on your journey, without Riku. I heard you guys talking. You don't want to risk Riku being taken over."

"But I-" Riku started.

"No," Sora said, voice firm. "I won't risk losing you."

"I can fight for you," Tifa said, breaking in. "I'm strong enough to handle it."

"It's a good idea, Riku. Don't worry about Sora, he'll be fine," Zexion assured him.

"Damn it," Riku growled. "I'm going. If I just chicken out because of Ansem, I really am weak. I have to beat him, for good. I thought I got rid of the darkness but no, the bastard keeps finding ways to get past me, beat me, push me down. I'm not going to let him win anymore and there's no way in hell I'll let him scare me."

Cloud was roused by the shouting and his blue eyes flickered open, ignoring the throbbing pain that seized his body.

"Where am I?" he murmured.

"Cloud…" Leon breathed.

Cloud began to push himself up but Tifa hurriedly pushed him back down. "No…don't move yet. You'll only hurt yourself."

"Sephiroth, is he gone?" Cloud demanded, his eyes focusing with sudden clarity.

"Yes, he's gone," Leon assured him. "Now let me take you to your room. You need to rest. Don't worry about the things going on here. I'll fill you in later."

"I…" Cloud turned his head to look at Sora. "Thank you. It's because of you I was able to defeat him."

"I'm just glad you're okay," Sora sighed, smiling brightly.

Cloud let his eyes slip close as Leon picked him up, leaving the room immediately.

"Let him go," Roxas suddenly spoke up. "Riku is right. He needs this."

Sora groaned. "Fine. But if Ansem even thinks of doing anything, I'll tear him apart, no matter what."

Riku leaned closer to him, kissing him quickly once on the lips. "Alright."

RSRSRS

In the end, Riku, Kairi, Sora, Tifa, Yuffie, Vexen, and Marluxia ended up stuffed in the Gummi Ship. Sora was driving again, much to Riku's displeasure.

"Sora, you suck at driving," Riku grumbled as Sora jerked them out of the way of a comet.

"I'm doing just fine," Sora argued.

"We're going to die, aren't we?" Yuffie moaned, holding her stomach. "I'm going to die out in space from vomiting my internal organs up. Tell Vinny I love him!"

"Stop being so dramatic," Tifa said, punching Yuffie's shoulder teasingly.

"Oh woe is me-"

"Yuffie!"

"Shutting up now."

RSRSRS

They landed in a huge cloud of smoke, as usual, and in a forest, as usual. As they stepped out, the dust cleared and they realized then that they were surrounded on all sides by people. All of them wore black with animal like masks, a sword strapped to each of their backs.

"Uh, this was unexpected," Sora commented quietly.

"Hyah!"

Sora whipped around to see Yuffie running towards one of the enemies, shuriken already out. Immediately, two of the fighters attacked but it was too late; Yuffie's foot lashed into one of their head's, knocking them out cold while her free hand clenched into a fist and pounded into the other's stomach. She followed up with a roundhouse kick to his head. Tifa was the next to follow her example, charging at her own group of opponents and knocking them to the ground with her fists.

The remaining enemies, which was still a high number of eleven, converged, not wasting anytime to attack. Kairi forced her Keyblade into existence as three of the opponents flash stepped and she quickly moved to counter them, doing the same thing. She managed to catch one of them, knocking her elbow into the back of their neck and knocking them flat on the ground.

Riku and Sora went back to back, brandishing their Keyblades and holding their enemies at bay until they had the chance to knock them out. Neither wanted to kill; it wasn't something they did. Finally, seeing an opening, Sora darted in, smashing the side of his Keyblade into one of the fighter's heads, sending him to the ground before spinning around and doing the same to another. He turned to see Riku knocking two others down, another already on the ground.

Riku glanced up to see that Vexen and Marluxia had already taken care of the remaining ones except for one. It's didn't take long for them to fix that though, Vexen slamming his blue shield into the man's head while he was distracted by Marluxia.

"Well, not that that wasn't fun, but what now?" Yuffie asked, barely out of breath as she looked around.

"That was quite the display of power," a voice said.

All seven whirled around to see a woman in a similar outfit, only the mask was gone, hanging around her waist. Bubblegum pink hair was chopped just before it reached her shoulders. Her mint green eyes betrayed her slim body, showing that she was not to be messed with and one wrong move would probably end with a first in the face.

"What'd you expect me to do, just let them attack me?" Yuffie countered.

The women raised a pink eyebrow. "We weren't going to attack you but thanks for only knocking my colleagues out. If you had seriously injured them I would have to kill you but seeing as you haven't, we have nothing to worry about. They'll wake in due time, would you follow me?"

"And where would we be going?" Vexen asked, his tone letting her know that they weren't going anywhere without good reasoning.

"Vincent has mentioned people like you might be coming sometime soon and said that the coordinates you would have would be this spot. When we saw that...thing of yours spiraling out of the sky, Vincent confirmed that it was you, and we came out to meet you," the women explained. "Now will you come with me?"

Sora shrugged. "Alright. But what's your name?"

The women smirked. "That's for me to know. Perhaps later. For now though, follow me."


	37. Chapter 37

**Haha, a new chapter! Look, I'm updating semi-regularly. :) This chapter is mainly things important for later on down in the plot. Spoilers for Naruto! Some OOCness…uh yeah that's about it. Reviews are loved and I don't own Naruto or Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy. :D**

"Vinny!"

The squeal that erupted fro Yuffie rivaled that of anything Sora had heard before and he pitied whoever the shriek was geared towards. The women had taken them through a bustling city towards a huge red building, explaining quickly that their Hokage was their leader and that it was her she was bringing them to.

When they had arrived in the Hokage's office, Sora didn't have time to look at their leader, for Yuffie had then had her outburst. The petite ninja had sprung past Sora and flung herself at the man standing by the desk. The man didn't move, letting Yuffie wrap herself around him and not making a single move to help her stay on. Long, tangled black hair was held in some semblance of order by a red band, a matching tattered cloak flowing out behind him. Sora's eyes were drawn to the large metallic claw of his left hand, and he watched as it clenched and unclenched, showing his irritation though his crimson eyes remained blank.

"Yuffie," he said, his voice a deep baritone that made shivers of _something_ not good crawl down Sora's back. "Please remove yourself from my body."

Yuffie, undaunted, stared defiantly up at him and clung tighter, an action that induced the man into rolling his eyes.

"Vincent, I can only assume these are the travelers you spoke of. Am I right?"

Sora peered around Vincent to see a rather...busty blond women with light brown eyes and a purple diamond on her forehead, framed by blond hair.

"Yes, Hokage-sama," Vincent said, grabbing Yuffie's sides and prying her away. "Though there are more of them than I originally thought. I was told only three would be coming but...I guess there was a change of plans."

"We picked up some allies," Sora said, smiling weakly.

"The more the better I suppose," the Hokage said. "Where are the others?"

This question was directed at the women who had brought them here."

"They are currently unconscious. They," she gestured to Sora and the others. "Thought we were hostile."

"It's not every day I see creepy people with masks on surrounding me!" Yuffie protested. "What did you expect?"

"For you to calmly rationalize and analyze the situation but I forgot that the word rational isn't in your vocabulary," Vincent said dryly.

"Hey-"

"Anyways," the Hokage interrupted. "Vincent has informed me of your situation. And I will help you on the condition that you assist us with something else."

"So you scratch our back, we scratch yours?" Vexen asked.

"Sounds fair," Sora said with a shrug. "So what do you need help with?"

"We have a missing ninja that defected three years ago. We want him back," she began.

"Tsunade, I thought-"

"We have help now, Sakura. Maybe we can bring him back this time," Tsunade said quietly.

"We should have given up on that dream," the women, Sakura, said tightly. "He's not coming back and I don't want to involve people we don't know."

"Sakura, go. This isn't your decision," Tsunade ordered. The pink haired women glared furiously but made a jerky hand sign and then vanished. The Hokage sighed and then looked back at them.

"Someone is controlling the Heartless, according to Vincent. He has some sense to pinpoint where their controller is and we were just waiting for you to arrive before we set out. We can't kill the Heartless, but Vincent says he can. Obviously he's not enough to take on all of them and their controller so we waited," Tsunade explained. "Now their controller, given the location Vincent gave me, is Orochimaru. He's the man that took our defected ninja and is the only one outside of a known terrorist group that would attack us with Heartless. He also is the one who took our defected ninja in so it's a win, win situation for us both. The keyhole is probably known by the controller, you kill the controller, we get out ninja back."

"Sounds like a good idea actually," Vexen said with a nod.

"No more work than usual," Sora agreed. "Alright then. Can Vincent take us there?"

"Yes. It will not be any problem," Vincent said.

"And we also have a warning for you,. We might be able to take care of it, and we might not," Marluxia said, bringing the attention to himself when he had originally faded into the background. "We have reason to believe that some of the cities in this world have had their citizens turned into human Heartless. They were made to eliminate us because an enemy of ours can use their lives to get stronger."

"If we come across them, we will eliminate them," Riku said firmly, glancing at Sora. The brunette looked worried and it was clear he still wasn't okay with the idea of Riku being there.

"That's...disgusting," Tsunade said, her nose wrinkling at the thought. "But if you do come across them...are you sure eliminating them is the only answer? I'm not too fond of eliminating innocent civilians."

"They aren't innocent," Kairi spoke up. "We had to fight them before. And given the situation they'll be sacrificed before we even get the chance to fight them off this time."

"And what's the situation?"

"That isn't something we are comfortable with disclosing," Vexen interrupted. "We have our secrets as I'm sure you have yours."

"Of course," Tsunade said. "That is understandable. So what is your plan?"

"We'll rest up and depart in the morning," Sora said. "It's better if we get this over with quickly."

"Good to hear. I will set up somewhere for you to stay and have some of our ninjas go with you. They might not be able to defeat Heartless but they will be helpful in other ways," Tsunade told him. "Vincent, if you could get them set up at the inn you are at, that would be appreciated."

"Yes, Hokage-sama. It will not be a problem."

(INSERTBREAKHERE)

"So this sense of yours..." Tifa started.

She, Yuffie, and Vincent were all gathered in Vincent's room, mainly to catch up. It had been a long time since they had seen each other and it made Tifa feel better to know he was alive and well.

"Yes?"

"What is it?"

"I can smell darkness," Vincent said. "Ever since we had to leave our world and Chaos got into my soul, I've been able to smell darkness. I just followed the scent to where it was the strongest and it was at a...hide out of sorts. It wasn't hidden as well as it should've been."

Tifa resisted the urge to shudder at the mention of Chaos. He was an amazingly strong Heartless and his nature was similar to Ansem's Heartless. Like with Riku, Vincent harbored Chaos within him and the Heartless could take control, only unlike Ansem's Heartless, he was much stronger and could take control whenever he wanted with no problem at all. Thankfully, Vincent had some sort of pact with him. None of them knew the details and Tifa wasn't sure she _wanted_ to know the details.

"That sounds like Riku and Zexion!" Yuffie said. "They can both smell darkness and Sora says that they've been finding the Keyhole because Riku can also smell light."

"Of course Riku's sense comes at a price like yours," Tifa said quietly.

Vincent raised a black eyebrow. "Oh?" He sat down on the desk in the room, folding his arms across his chest. "Care to elaborate?"

"Well, Ansem's Heartless is within him. That's the reason the citizens have been turned into Heartless. The enemy is assisting Ansem in taking over Riku's body," Tifa told him.

Vincent's eyes flashed angrily. "So why did they bring him here if they knew the danger?"

"He wants to prove that he's strong enough," Tifa sighed. "We tried to convince him otherwise but...he's right. He can't live in fear for the rest of his life."

The man was silent for a moment, eyes closing as he thought. Even Yuffie knew better than to speak when Vincent was thinking on something so seriously and she remained dutifully silent.

"Perhaps I can help him. Or rather, perhaps Chaos can. I shall speak to him about it."

"Oh? How are you gonna help?" Yuffie asked, eyes brightening.

"That's for me to know," Vincent said, glaring at her. "Stay out of business that isn't yours."

"Oh Vinny..."

"Also, I would like it if you refrained from calling me that," Vincent continued. "Now I'm going to rest, and I suggest you two do the same. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

(INSERTBREAKHERE)

"I still don't think you should be here," Sora said as he got around to go to bed.

"Sora, I don't want to talk about it," Riku sighed. "This will be our last restful night for awhile and I don't want to argue with you before. I won't be able to sleep if we both go to bed unhappy."

Sora sat down on the bed, looking disgruntled as he did so. "I don't want to argue. It's more of...I want you to know I'm worried because I love you so much. I don't want you to ever forget that, especially when you're facing down Ansem."

Riku's aquamarine gaze softened as he sat down beside his best friend turned lover. "I'm sorry for snapping at you and seeing an attack when there wasn't one. I'm just on edge."

Sora crawled onto his lap, acting very much like a little kid and then nuzzled his neck. Riku wrapped his arms around the smaller's waist before pressing his face into the mussed brown spikes, inhaling Sora's comforting scent. He knew that he was just jumping to conclusions unfairly and though he could just say it was him being overly tired and being paranoid, he knew that it would mean not taking the blame. And he should, because if he hurt Sora and blamed it on something else, their relationship was doomed to fail. So, it was time to take responsibility for his actions.

"I forgive you," Sora mumbled. "I'll always forgive you, Riku."

"You shouldn't. I'm being cruel, expecting bad things from someone so full of light. You're so forgiving, no matter what I do. How did I end up with you? I don't deserve someone so kind," Riku muttered.

Sora jolted away, staring him directly in the eyes. "Don't say that Riku. You are not a terrible person. I'm with you because I love you. I don't give a flying fuck about Ansem. I'm in love with only you."

Riku was stunned into speechlessness and could only stare at the brunette. He knew it took a lot to make Sora to curse and the emotion of fierce love and devotion he saw in the brunette's eyes was almost enough to make him cry. He clutched Sora too him, feeling breathless from the sudden emotion that was racing through him faster than he could comprehend. Sora felt it too, and Riku understood then what it was that he was actually feeling; overwhelming love and devotion. He had always been aware of his deep love for Sora but...he had never felt it as strong as he did, realizing that Sora would go through heaven and hell and everything in between if only to convince Riku that he was loved. There was no other obvious display of loyalty than that and for that reason, it touched Riku deeper than anything else ever could.

"Sora, I love you too," he finally whispered.

"I may not approve of some of the things you do but I will always love you," Sora told him firmly, nuzzling him again as he spoke. "Understand?"

"Yeah, I do," he murmured.


	38. Chapter 38

yeah I know, took me long enough. So here's the next chapter where magical things happen. :D As always, yaoi etc. I don't own Kingdom Hearts, yada yada. Enjoy!

--

"Hi! I'm Naruto Uzumaki!"

Kairi stared at the blond man before her, expression blank as she tried to comprehend how someone was capable of being so full of energy when it was still before dawn. Even Yuffie didn't have her energy yet, half asleep leaning against a disgruntled looking Vincent.

"Hi," Sora replied. Kairi looked over at her friend and sighed. Of course Sora would be the only one with a boundless energy to match their new companion. "Are you one of the ninjas coming with us?"

"Yep!" the blond man said, nodding quickly.

As she studied him, she realized that the man had what appeared to be whiskers tattooed onto his face. She thought it was an odd thing to get tattooed but didn't say anything. No sense in getting off on the wrong foot. Beside him was the women from earlier, Sakura, and she looked as sleepy as the rest of them, and it was obvious she was still angry about the events of yesterday, but they were still no closer to knowing why she was upset. After awhile of waiting and making awkward conversation, two more ninja showed up, and Kairi decided then, that out of all the worlds with vampires, alchemy, and soul reapers, this was the weirdest one.

Before them was a man, with a hair cut so perfectly rounded, it was as if someone had taken a black bowl and set it upon his head and then added on matching bushy eyebrows for good measure. Beside him was something even more shocking. A dog. Almost up to her shoulder. And on top of the dog, was a teenaged boy, who sat atop the canine as if it were a horse, which in a way, she supposed it was, but that didn't make it any less weird.

"These two are coming with us," Naruto told him. "This is Kiba, and Lee."

"How in the world did you breed a dog that big?" Vexen asked, his voice full of curiosity.

Typical scientist, Kairi thought, repressing the urge to roll her eyes. Of course he isn't freaked out, he's only intrigued. He just wants to know how to make something so weird.

The boy grinned, and Kairi realized that his canines were sharper than an average human's, almost like a dog, and his hair was scruffy like a dogs as well. "Maybe I'll have time to tell you. But don't we have a mission?"

"It is true. We should go," Vincent said. "I will lead the way."

Without any further prompting, the gunslinger began to walk for the main gate, leaving the others to scramble behind him.

(INSERTBREAKHERE)

Sora thought the forest they traveled through was quite beautiful, and had to suppress his envy. Every world they went to had something amazing to offer, and he couldn't help but wish he could stay longer than he did in those worlds. Conversation hadn't picked up until after lunch, and even then it was in hushed whispers, breeding between Vexen and Kiba, and then something he couldn't hear between Sakura and Kairi.

He had figured that those two would hit it right off, but he was surprised that Vexen was still talking to Kiba. From what he could hear, Kiba wasn't very bright though he was very curious and eager to learn whatever terms he could from the scientist. But despite how things were going so well, he could detect a deep sadness coming from Riku and no matter how many times he tried to meet his gaze, Riku always glanced away immediately after. It disturbed him; he thought they had worked out their issues the night before. Obviously, he had been wrong.

As they gathered around the fire that night for food, Sora had decided that he would talk to Riku again right after they finished eating. However, before he could get a chance, Vincent had tapped the silver haired teen on the shoulder and then guided him out of the clearing. Almost no one reacted, continuing their light and playful conversations. They were all much more relaxed at this point and even Kairi didn't notice the disappearance of Riku and Vincent.

Well, I guess that means they won't miss me either, he thought, standing up and slowly creeping into the bushes, following after the two. He found them in a clearing, Riku with his back to him and Vincent standing before him.

"I can help you," Vincent said quietly after a tense moment. "I'm in the same situation. And I have been for fifty years."

"Fifty...how old are you?" Riku asked, voice unbeliving.

Even though he couldn't see the teen's face, Sora knew what his expression would be; left eyebrow crooked up, lips in a straight, pursed line, and eyes radiating the message of: If you're telling the truth, I'll eat my own hand. But then again, Vincent could easily be telling the truth. Compared to other things they had seen; alchemy, vampires, soul reapers, hollows, a fifty year old man who looked twenty five wasn't too far-fetched.

"It's impolite to ask that," Vincent said, tone amused. "Anyways, I have several entities living within me, much like your Ansem. Chaos was put into me through scientific experiments on my home world. I can help you control Ansem, for awhile. I can teach you how to draw on his power and with time, maybe get rid of him." Vincent moved closer. "But only if you want my help."

Riku was tense, his knees almost locked, and Sora could see his fists clenching tightly. Is he feeling threatened? Sora thought. Maybe he's feeling threatened by how dangerous and powerful Vincent seems. Or Ansem is fighting him again. But if Ansem is fighting, it means he's scared that Vincent can do something...which means he probably can.

Vincent stopped directly in front of Riku and then brought the gold claw up to touch the teen's forehead. Instantly, Riku's body relaxed, the fists unclenching and the muscles unwinding.

"He's quiet now, correct? Chaos spoke to him," Vincent said quietly. "Did you hear him?"

"Y-yes...he is very powerful to...make Ansem act that way," Riku muttered. "But how did you manage to get Chaos under control? I've never felt something so powerful..."

"Years of practice as well as a tentative agreement," Vincent replied. "But Chaos is less likely to hastily seize control as your Ansem is. He is too desperate. I'd go as far to say that if he wasn't mad before, he is now."

Riku didn't respond for several moments and Sora wished he could see his expression. From his point of view, he couldn't gauge his lover's reaction, and it bugged him greatly.

He's getting upset, a voice said.

Sora jerked upright, every fighting instinct coming to life from having his mind invaded without any sort of warning. Without him even realizing it!

Calm down. I am Chaos and your desire to know how he is, is projecting too much. I picked up on it. The voice was similar to Vincent's speaking voice, though instead of being emotionless, this voice was much more patronizing. Now he's getting upset, in a good way. He's coming to terms with the fact that he does indeed need help.

Oh. That's...good. But why won't he accept my help? Sora asked.

You're weak. I'm stronger. I'm more likely to succeed.

But I've beaten Ansem! I'm not weak! Sora protested.

To him, light is weak. Well not to him, but to Ansem, even though you did defeat him. Ansem's hatred for light does bleed into Riku's sub-conscience. You can't prevent it, Chaos explained. Ansem probably doesn't even realize he's doing it.

I... Sora didn't know what to think, but he couldn't ask Chaos anymore questions, for the being's presence had left his mind altogether. With his focus back though, he returned to the two before him and was promptly shocked to see Vincent awkwardly hugging a trembling Riku. It was barely a hug one arm wrapped loosely around his shoulders with an uncertain look on his face but still, it upset Sora, probably more than it should have.

Why can't I be the one to help him? Why won't he come to me for comforting? Sora had thought their conversation before had fixed all of their problems but now...he wasn't so sure. And what Chaos had said, that bugged him too, and made him angry, but that anger wasn't directed at Chaos. He knew he wasn't weak, but he was to Ansem and Ansem couldn't stop his thoughts from influencing Riku, and Riku couldn't control any of it.

Anger feeds darkness, Sora thought, dragging himself away from the scene before him. If I let it fester, I risk hurting Riku without meaning to. It's better if I just forget seeing this and if Riku wants to tell me, then he will. If not...I won't push him.

(INSERTBREAKHERE)

Naruto looked up as Sora re-entered the group gathered around the fire. He had already decided that he rather liked the keyblade bearer, mostly because they were so similar. To his surprise, he was the only one to notice Sora's departure, as well as Riku's and Vincent's; usually he was the less observant of the group. But something was off now. The teen that had been mostly happy when they had left that morning, now seemed to have a dark shadow hovering over and around him, smothering him.

"Hey!" Naruto called out, standing up and heading for the brunette.

He was careful not to be too loud, so that they wouldn't attract too much attention. Sora looked up, a smile present on his face as he returned the greeting, but the blond knew better. The smile was fake; he had given enough fake ones of his own to know that. Without waiting for an invitation, Naruto sat down beside him.

"Where'd you go?" he asked, keeping his tone light. He didn't want to scare the keybearer off before he managed to help solve the problem.

"Um, just clearing my thoughts," Sore replied with a shrug, blue eyes looking towards the ground.

"Oh. Do you know where the other two went by chance?" Naruto asked. "We can't leave them wandering around, even if they are powerful. It's better if we know where they are.

Sora shook his head. "No I didn't see them. But can I ask a question?"

"Sure!" he replied enthusiastically. You'll never open up to me if I don't open up first.

"Why exactly was Sakura opposed to us helping you look for this guy? I just thought it was a little weird."

Naruto paused. So he gets away from the topic uncomfortable for him and moves to one that's hard for me to discuss. Nice. "Well, she...and I guess me too, we both want to find him ourselves. It's a little immature but..." He laughed weakly. "I'm at wits end. I'm willing to accept help, especially if it means we can get rid of the Heartless and protect the innocent."

"But who is he?" Sora asked. "To be honest, I want to know more about your world. The quick rundowns weren't really enough."

"His name is Sasuke Uchiha. He was our team mate when we were younger but he left the village and joined with the creep snake man to get stronger," Naruto explained.

"Creepy snake man?" Sora questioned, his head tilting to the side.

"Oh, uh, Orochimaru. He's a rouge ninja who has a lot of snake-like...traits," Naruto said. "And he almost destroyed our village when we were younger."

"Oh..." Sora looked at him sympathetically. "I'm so sorry. My island was destroyed by the Heartless but...we got it back. Orochimaru sounds like a terrible person."

"Oh, he is. I'm glad you guys are here helping us though. And I'm sure Sakura will come around too. She just doesn't take accepting help well," Naruto told him. "She really is nice, if she tries."

Sora laughed a little, a real one. Well, that's the first step. He is helping me find Sasuke. Making him a little happier is the least I can do!

(INSERTBREAKHERE)

Riku was uneasy as he zipped the tent up that night. The ninjas didn't mind them using tents, it just meant they would have to get up sooner to take care of them. Vincent's help had changed everything and it gave him a little bit of hope that maybe he did have a chance. But there was something about the whole situation that made him feel bad, made him feel like he was somehow betraying Sora.

"Hey, Sora?" he asked quietly, moving to stretch out beside the smaller teen. "You awake?"

Sora shifted beneath the light blanket to look at him, though it was impossible to read his expression in the darkness. "Yeah. Is something wrong?"

"I um...I went with Vincent earlier. And we talked about Ansem. He was able to shut Ansem up using Chaos who is kind of like his Ansem," Riku explained, wondering briefly if he was making any sense. Then again, it was Sora. Sora always understood him. "I am accepting his help to get Ansem under control."

"Okay." The soft admission increased Riku's uneasiness and he shifted closer to his lover.

"Sora, what's wrong? Did I do something wrong?" Riku asked. Like I feared?

"I just don't...Riku do you think I'm weak?" Sora rolled onto his back, facing away from him now. "I want to help you but you were so against it that I backed off. And now you're accepting his help. Do you think I'm too weak to help you? Is that it?"

"No. That's not it at all Sora! You're strong, really strong, and your heart is pure. You've helped me so much, I know you aren't weak!" How could I be so stupid? Letting Sora think he isn't good enough and worst off, giving him reason to think that! "Vincent just...we've been through the exact same thing. He can help me better than you can, but only because you have different kinds of strengths."

Sora didn't reply for awhile, instead, he shifted closer and rested his head on Riku's shoulder, his hand moving down to grasp the older teen's. Tentatively, Riku squeezed it, wondering if these actions meant he was forgiven.

"I love you," Sora mumbled. "And I'm sorry I can't help you. But I'm also glad that there is someone who can actually help you when I can't."

Riku kissed the top of his head. "I'm sorry if I offended you Sora. I...I never mean to, you know that, right?"

"I know." Sora moved closer, squeezing back. "Night Riku."

"Night. Love you."

"...Love you too."


	39. Chapter 39

**So…this chapter has been ready for a couple days…and I just now found time to update it.  
^^' Well…reviews are loved and I don't own Kingdom Hearts or Naruto. :D**

Morning dawned earlier than Kairi had preferred, but she was pretty much used to it at this point. As camp was dismantled, Sakura moved closer to her until they were working together side by side.

"So, I'm just noticing something," Sakura began, rolling up the sleeping bag.

"Oh?" Kairi mused, sitting back on her heels and tilting her head to the side. While the pink haired ninja had been hostile to their help, now she was extending a hand of acceptance, which Kairi was all too willing to take. If Soi Fon and her could get along, it was very possible that she and Sakura could.

"You and I are a lot alike," she continued softly, mint green eyes thoughtful. "We're the only females in our trios, so it's harder to prove our worth."

Kairi rolled her eyes, smiling at her. "Oh yeah. But there's something else too. We've both had one member of the trio runaway."

Sakura looked puzzled at her words. "But all three of you are here now."

"That doesn't mean they weren't gone at one point," Kairi said. "Sora and I got Riku back after two years of searching and fighting. We never would have succeeded without help though, so don't resist what we offer. We only want to help you get your friend back, and to save this world."

Sakura smiled weakly. "I'm sorry about my behavior. Just...accepting help bugs me a little. I'm so used to always relying on other people and I got annoyed with myself, so I trained harder and harder so I wouldn't ever need their help again. It's hard to start accepting it again after I've become so self reliant."

"It's okay. I understand. But you have to be okay with help other wise you'll never get Sasuke back," Kairi said, straightening up and shouldering her pack.

"I'm getting used to accepting it. I think with time I won't mind it as much. You are all so nice and I shouldn't be so cold to you. It isn't a very nice way to repay your help," Sakura said sheepishly.

Kairi beamed at her and then gave the other teen a quick hug. "We'll get him back. Just you wait."

(INSERTBREAKHERE)

"And that, Sora, is why green jumpsuits are perfect for fighting!" Lee shouted, for somehow he had not yet lost his voice during his loud hour long lecture of how his green jumpsuit was the must have garment for fighting.

"Uh, I'll pass, still," Sora protested weakly. Lee's constant excitement was rather tiring.

Kiba chuckled, coming to a stop. They had decided to break for lunch awhile ago, as soon as they found a clearing anyways. "Found it!"

"Good!" Naruto exclaimed, bounding past them and flopping down in the center with an exaggerated groan of agony. "Because I'm starving!"

"Naruto, you always are," Sakura sighed.

"Fifteen minute break. Then we should get moving again," Vincent said, moving past them and out of the clearing as if they had never planned on stopping.

Riku was about to follow after him, but then thought better of it and instead sat down beside Sora, kissing his cheek lightly. The poor brunette still had Lee takling rapidly in his ear, while Marluxia and Vexen sat acorss from them, barely hidden smirks on their faces. It amazed Riku every time, how charismatic Sora was, being able to have anyone he met like him.

"Riku. Pssst."

The silver haired teen started from the harsh whisper in his ear, whirling around to see Yuffie staring down at him with a delighted grin on her face. "What?"

"Vincent wants to talk to you. Go find him," Yuffie said, moving away again and back towards Tifa.

Puzzled, Riku relayed the message to Sora and got up to go find Vincent; he didn't miss the slightly hurt look in the brunette's eyes. Sure Sora had given his blessing for him to accept the help, but it obviously still hurt him, which made the silver haired teen cringe. He didn't want Sora to be hurt, but this was help he could accept without feeling well...bad.

The gunslinger wasn't that far away from where they had all sat down to eat, and he found him after only a few steps into the woods between two trees. Before he could say anything, the man began to speak, sitting down as he did so. "You're first lesson begins now. Chaos and I will lock Ansem away so that he will not interfere. Don't be afraid if you feel our presence."

Riku nodded and then sat down when Vincent motioned for him to do so, sitting directly across from him, wondering what they could possibly do in only fifteen minutes. Vincent closed his eyes and moments later, Riku felt another presence touch his mind.

_**No!**_ Ansem's mind reared up within his, slamming up against the invading minds with a surprising ferocity. Immediately, Riku attempted to fight Ansem back as he usually did, only to suddenly feel the man's power vanish, so he had nothing to fight against. He hadn't realized he had shut his eyes then until he opened them, his gaze meeting Vincent's questioningly.

"Do not fight him," the dark haired man said. "Block him, as I did. You and I are both fighters. Our first reaction is to fight and in the case of Ansem and Chaos, fighting them head on is not going to work. It is easier to concentrate your energy into a wall and block them out.

"So how do I do that?" Riku asked.

"Impatient, are we?" Vincent mused. "We'll get there. You obviously know how to push people out, so you can easily access your inner power. It is literally your willpower. Instead of shoving people out, try to just block me. Just imagine a wall between yourself and me, a physical wall."

Without warning, the presence invaded again, this time wasting no time, and going right in and seizing control. Riku couldn't help it; he panicked. Vincent didn't have any sympathy though and he seized complete control, and when next he instructed Riku, it was through the silver haired teen's own mouth.

"Ansem will come up at once like this. You have to be able to react quickly. I will go slower this time. Do not panic."

The control was gone as quickly as it had come and Riku clenched his jaw in determination; he wasn't about to let that happen a second time. As soon as he felt the presence again, he shoved at it, closing his eyes and trying to imagine that wall. The attack barely paused, a slight hesitation that he would've missed if he wasn't paying so much attention to it.

"Good. With work you can actually stop me," Vincent said, standing up. "We are done for now. We shall eat as we walk. Here come the others."

Riku stood up and turned as the group emerged from the trees, all looking more energetic even as he felt like he was about to pass out. Vincent's mind was a force of nature and even the small defense he had mounted against him had taken out a lot of energy. _This makes me feel great. How can I hold back Ansem if I'm not even close to holding back Vincent? Especially when Ansem gets more power..._

"That disgruntled look really doesn't do it for you Riku," Yuffie commented as she bounced past him, practically skipping. "Might wanna work on that, hm?"

He sighed. No point in dwelling. Sora shot him an encouraging smile, grabbing his hand once and squeezing it tightly before following after the others, jogging up to continue his conversation with Naruto. Well, at least Lee was done chattering in his ear. As they walked, he found himself beside Tifa of all people. He didn't say anything at first; she was mainly Sora's friend, and he never had had much of a chance to get to know her, despite how long they had been traveling.

"I know Vincent is harsh," she said quietly. "But he's doing it for your own good. He...he does care. He just isn't good at ever showing it. Kinda like Cloud."

"I see," Riku said. "How did you know he was helping me?"

"He told us that he wanted to help you. He thought he could do something useful for you."

"I am grateful for his help," the teen said honestly. "I am glad he wants to help me."

"He isn't a social person. Be patient with him," Tifa said, offering him a smile. "If it weren't for him...I don't think some of us would be here right now. Maybe one day he'll tell you his story. But just be patient. He can teach you a lot."

_I can definitely see that, _Riku thought.

(INSERTBREAKHERE)

That night, Vincent guided Riku away from the camp again, far enough away that they wouldn't wake anyone with their talk. Sora promised to wait up for him, so that they could talk about what Riku had learned, and as far as the silver haired teen saw it, reestablish who was the more important one. He didn't know what it was that bugged Sora so much about it, outside the fact that he didn't like helping, but he was willing to do whatever he could to make the brunette happy, especially given the pain he had put him through without even realizing he had been doing it.

"Ansem is still locked away so we shall continue practice with your wall," Vincent told him. "But before we get to that, we will meditate. It will help you focus your willpower so that your wall can be brought up quicker and stronger."

Riku nodded his understanding. "But won't relaxing make it easier for Ansem to get through?"

"I won't be meditating, just you," Vincent told him. "I'll keep the wall up for now. This meditating will make you stronger in the end, so you will be able to meditate and hold up that divider between the two of you, but for now, I can help. Now close your eyes and clear your mind. Your thoughts need to be gone."

The silver haired teen did as ordered, taking deep breaths and trying to filter out his mind from all of the things that were bugging him; there were a lot of things. Surprisingly, Vincent's deep voice, which never stopped it's murmuring, relaxed him, and eventually, his thoughts drifted, flitting about from topic to topic before drifting off completely and vanishing. He was aware of where he was, but it was a detached sort of sensation, as if he were seeing his mind from the outside. He could see the weaknesses, the strengths, the cracks where Ansem could slip in, the wall that divided them. It was sight, without actual objects. There was no way to truly explain it.

"That is good, Riku. Come back to me now," Vincent's voice ordered sternly.

Riku jolted, nearly falling over despite his sitting position at the touch of Vincent's hand on his arm. "Sorry. I didn't realize I had zoned out."

Vincent shrugged. "You were about to fall asleep. I decided to save you from being awoken by hitting the ground."

Snorting, Riku realized that Vincent had just made a sort of joke, something he had not ever expected to see out of the man. "So now what do we do?"

"Practice."

Before he was even finished saying the word, Riku felt the attack on his mind and he quickly began to fight back before remembering not to fight but block. And so they continued, for how long, the silver haired teen wasn't really sure, but by the end of it he felt like he was on the verge of passing out. He realized then that he had never been mentally exhausted ever in his life, not when he compared it to what he was feeling now.

"Can you stand?" Vincent asked, rising to his feet and looking down at the still sitting Riku. "I can carry you back, if you need me to."

Riku shook his head and began to stand, only to topple over into the dark man's chest. Thankfully, Vincent seemed to be expecting it and he caught him easily, before lifting him up and tossing him over his shoulder easily, all in one swift motion that made Riku feel like a clumsy idiot; a feeling he was not used to having.

"Obviously you can't. Let us go," Vincent said.

Upon reaching camp again, Riku was dropped off in front of his tent, and with a silent goodbye, Vincent seemed to vanish as if he were never there. Riku was unsure how the man pulled off being so lithe, graceful, and silent but he supposed it had something to do with the power that dwelled within him. If only Ansem was more willing to help instead of just taking him over.

"Hey Riku," Sora greeted softly as Riku crept into the tent, head still spinning a little bit. "How did it go?"

"Well. I'm getting better at blocking," Riku told him, kissing the brunette on the lips once, twice and then finally settling down next to him. "He wants me to block Ansem instead of fighting him. He said that it's easier that way."

Sora nodded. "Yeah. I can see that." He leaned forward and claimed Riku's lips again, rolling on top of the silver haired teen in a rare show of dominance as his hands threaded through the long silver locks of hair, tongue slipping in and tasting him. Riku groaned softly; it had been too long since they had last had a chance to just...be teenagers in love. His hands slid up to grasp Sora's hips, grinding up into him briefly before rolling them over and breaking the kiss, only to attack Sora's neck.

"Wait Riku," Sora whispered. "As much as I am enjoying this...I don't want to have to clean up my clothes tomorrow when everyone wants to get moving."

Riku paused, realizing the logic in his lover's words. "Dammit. You're right." He gave him one final kiss and then pulled away, nuzzling the brunette's neck lovingly. "Sorry that I lost control there."

He could feel Sora's smile against his forehead. "It's okay. I started it. Night Riku. I love you."

"I love you too Sora."

Slowly, the two drifted into sleeping, feeling better than they had in awhile.


	40. Chapter 40

**Oh hai! Look guys! I updated this! Finally! 8D I'm so freaking happy that I finally got some inspiration back. I have no idea how long it will last, hopefully I can squeeze out one more chapter. Anyways, I don't own Naruto or Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy. There are smexy yaoi limes ahead as well as a lovely curveball. MWAHAHAHAH! Reviews are loved. 3 I missed ya'll**

"Vinny?"

Vincent froze upon hearing Yuffie's voice, turning to see the female ninja rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand as she emerged from her tent. "Yes?"

"Where you going? Aren't you on watch duty?"

"I will be back momentarily. Go back to bed."

Yuffie shrugged before sitting down next to the fire, yawning. "You go on and do whatever. I'll keep watch while you're gone."

Vincent nodded and then ducked off into the trees, drawing his cloak around him tightly as he wound his way through the forest. Earlier, when he had been practicing with Riku he had gotten an odd sense that darkness was near but before he could pin point it had gone. So now, he would have to find it, and hope that it wasn't something that would slow them down very much.

He stopped, throwing his head up in the air and taking in a deep breath, trying to find the scent of the darkness. It was pulsing in erratic bursts here and there and was hard to pinpoint. All at once, it flared, hard and pulsing, washing over him in waves. He could feel Chaos quivering within him and he couldn't help but shiver as well as the power washed through him, taunting him with its delicious call. Finally getting his head together, he shook himself and continued on. Now that the darkness was so prominent, it was easy to follow after.

Much to his shock, it was only a few more steps before he was out of the trees and at the entrance to a village. No lights were on, but there was an unmistakable glow of hundreds of blank yellow eyes staring back at him.

_This isn't good. We should go now. _Chaos's voice was strained and Vincent could feel the creature rising within his mind, unable to fight the desire to take over his body.

"Vincent!"

Even with the cry he was not prepared to be tackled to the ground by Yuffie. She sat a top his chest, panting. "What?"

"You have to move!" Yuffie rolled off of him and pointed at the advancing Heartless. "You were just standing there like a complete idiot! Now move!"

Vincent shook himself again and vaulted to his feet, sprinting through the trees and back towards the camp, Yuffie in tow. "Is Riku okay?"

"I don't know. I don't think so. He started screaming so I went to find you," she answered.

"Shit. I-"

Vincent didn't bother finishing his sentence for he and Yuffie had just emerged into the camp where everyone was awake, tense and alert. He could hear Riku's cries coming from inside the tent he shared with Sora and didn't hesitate to duck inside, grabbing Sora's shoulder and yanking him back off the trembling teen.

"Go outside."

"But I-"

"There's a village of Heartless nearby. Wipe them out if you can, it will help Riku. Now go! I will do what I can for him," Vincent ordered, refusing to back down.

Sora bit his lip but then nodded and left. Vincent could hear him repeat his orders but stopped paying attention after that. What he had to focus on was saving Riku, so he plunged inside the teen's mind.

_Riku tried, pitifully, to fight against the rising tide of Ansem's power. The attack had come out of nowhere, with almost no warning. One minute he had been sleeping and the next he had felt darkness crashing through his body in a thrumming wave. It wasn't long after that Ansem had begun his assault on his mind and even with the training Vincent had given him, he was still nowhere close to being ready for such an onslaught. _

_It hurt to have Ansem so deep in his mind, clawing at his memories, digging for that part where he would gain control. Digging for the piece of light deep within him that pulsed, keeping the darkness inside the teen at bay. It was worse than before. Before...before he was almost used to it. This was a level of violation he had never experienced at the hands of another, for it felt as though his mind was being raped of all that held it together. _

Sora. Sora please. Sora.

_The pain didn't stop as one by one his memories were shattered and ripped apart as Ansem continued his quest down into his soul, searching for the light that he had to extinguish. Desperately, Riku tried to erect a shield, a barrier, anything to stop the attack. He even attempted to fight him head on as he had before, but he was easily defeated, cast aside within his own mind. _

_And then, mercifully, it stopped. A wall stood between himself and Ansem, and he could see it in his minds eye; roiling darkness battering against a pale wall but not gaining any purchase. Then...he felt another presence, curling into his mind and wrapping around the light, protecting it even as it plunged itself into the injured parts. Riku cried out as this new presence slipped over the broken and raw parts of his mind, but in its wake it left healing that he had not expected. And so, he endured the pain to get to the relief._

I am here. Do not worry Riku.

Sora?

Vincent.

_Riku couldn't think long enough to formulate a reply, instead letting himself be carried by Vincent's presence within him. All at once, the darkness receded and Ansem's presence vanished, but the wall protecting him did not fall._

Vincent?

Sora and the others have killed the heartless Ansemw as using, but I'm going to leave this protection here for now. When I leave your mind, do not panic. You are safe now.

_Riku tensed as Vincent left his mind and then-_

His eyes opened and all he could see was Vincent, but at the same time, he was seeing himself through Vincent's eyes. His mind felt painfully raw, emotions racing through his head, a distorted mix of his own feelings and Vincent's.

"Vincent..."

The moment he spoke, Vincent bent down and captured his lips. Riku's head spun and felt drunk on the feeling of being himself as well as someone else, of being dominated while dominating. The urge to be one with Vincent was strong, his body demanding he complete the bond that was melding their souls together.

A deep groan into his mouth made Riku arch up into Vincent's grip, depending on the man to hold him up. The older's taste was heady and dark, and it left him craving more. His hands pulled and tugged at the red cape incessantly as their tongues twisted together, tasting each other as small gasps and groans escaped their lips.

Vincent's hands gripped his hips and rolled them up, drawing a desperate whimper from Riku's mouth. Riku broke the kiss, head falling back as Vincent's lips found his neck, nipping at the skin to draw more gasps and moans from the younger. All at once, Vincent ripped away, letting Riku fall back with a gasp.

"Dammit. I shouldn't have...I'm sorry Riku."

"What the fuck just happened?"

His vision had stopped spinning so much, making it easier to think, but he wasn't sure what to do, or how to react.

"I was too deep in your mind. I fixed the parts that Ansem destroyed, and as a result, our minds tried to meld in the same way you and Ansem have. We are separate now," Vincent said, his tone strained.

"And that resulted in us making out how?"

"I-"

The flap of the tent was thrown open before Vincent could finish and in rushed Sora. The brunette slipped past the gunslinger and tackled Riku in a hug.

"You're okay!"

Riku wrapped his arms around Sora tight, breathing in the teens familiar scene and trying to forget what he had just done.

"Are they all gone?" Vincent asked, his voice startling the two out of their embrace.

"Yeah. We killed what was left of them, which wasn't much. They kept disappearing," Sora said. "Is Riku going to be okay?"

Vincent's burning red gaze slid over to Riku, the gaze causing the teen to shiver as pleasure slid down his spine. For a moment, he was seeing through Vincent's eyes before being slammed back into his own body.

"There's been a complication," Vincent said. "To save Riku and reverse the damage Ansem had wrought, I had to go into his mind. Since I had to go so deep, our minds linked, though the bond is very fragile. It can be broken easily but doing so right now might open the wounds I closed."

"So...what are you going to do?" Sora asked.

"Wait. Break the bond tomorrow. Riku and I are still separate people but the bond remains and will try to make us one person until one of our souls gives in. Of course, I will never let it get that far."

Vincent stood and ducked out of the tent before either of them could say anything more. As soon as he was out of sight, Riku sighed, realizing then how uptight he had been around the gunslinger.

"Riku...did something happen between you two?" Sora's voice was tentative, but expectant at the same time.

Riku looked away. "Sora...I'm sorry. I twas never my intention to..."

He was surprised when Sora hugged him, burying his face in the silverette's neck. "It's okay Riku. I understand. It must've been really screwed up in your head with so many people tugging at it."

"Sora...I'm so sorry. How do I fix this?" Riku murmured into the chocolate locks.

Sora pulled away and gave him a smile. "Don't worry. Nothing has changed."

Riku shivered as his vision flashed again, giving him a glimpse of what Vincent was doing, but it was too quick for him to pick anything out but the trees. "Where are the others?"

"Probably going back to sleep," Sora said. "Are you okay?"

Riku shook his head and pulled Sora close again, wrapping himself around the smaller teen. "I want to be me again. I'm so sick of everyone being in my mind. I can't even keep track of who Riku is anymore."

"Riku is my best friend. Riku is the man who fought everything just to get me back. Riku is the one who was willing to succumb to the darkness if it meant he could help me. Riku is the one I love," Sora said. Each word was strong and held no hesitation as they were spoken against his skin.

"Sora..."

Sora looked up and gently pressed their lips together. It was a soft kiss, a contrast to the heated and desperate kisses he had shared with Vincent, and the softness was just what he needed to calm him down. Riku leaned forward to get a better taste, but Sora pushed him back, until he was lying flat with the brunette stretched above him looking down, his gaze gentle.

"Just rest Riku. Please. Everything will be better in the morning."

Riku nodded and shut his eyes as he wrapped his arms around the brunette. Hopefully, Sora was right.

(INSERTBREAKHERE)

"Something isn't adding up."

Yuffie looked up from where she was poking the fire, drawn out of her thoughts at Kairi's voice. She hadn't even heard the girl emerge from her tent. So much for being on guard duty, she thought, but then smiled at the red head.

"What's wrong?"

Kairi walked around the fire, rubbing her eyes as she did so, and then sat down beside the ninja. For a moment, she didn't speak. Yuffie yawned and stretched, letting the girl gather her thoughts before she spoke.

"Marluxia said that Ansem was going to use multiple cities of hybrid heartless to gather strength from. We only found one, which means he only sacrificed one city. He used even less heartless than last time, so he couldn't possibly have thought he was going to win against Riku. So why did he bother?"

Yuffie tilted her head to the side, realizing that what Kairi was saying was true. "I don't know. Who knows what thoughts are going through his head?"

"It just bugs me! It's like he's playing with us," Kairi ground out, jerking to her feet. "He's just toying with Riku, making him more insecure and worried. He's...he's weakening us. That's it Yuffie! That's what he's doing!"

"So what do we do?" Yuffie asked, still feeling a little confused as to what Kairi was trying to tell her.

"Oh god, I don't know!" Kairi threw her hands up in the air. "This all so complicated and I'm just sick of...everything going wrong. Riku's hurting, and every world we go to, there's just more pain and more suffering and I can't take it anymore!"

Yuffie stood, biting her lip as she approached the near hysterical teen. "Oh, it's gonna be alright. C'mere." Feeling a tad awkward, the ninja wrapped her arms around Kairi's shoulders, rubbing her bear arms soothingly. "You've got friends here. And we're doing what we can to help everyone out. Everything's gonna work out just fine."

A hot tear hit Yuffie's arm and the woman sighed, hugging the teen closer. This was getting too difficult for all of them. She hoped that all of the pain and fighting ended soon, before the heros of light everyone seemed to worship so much finally broke down and lost it. Everyone was just too fragile.


	41. Chapter 43

**So, for awhile, I had an author that was going to take this over. She hasn't contacted me in months though so I guess it falls to me. I decided I'll just keep pushing this story out until I can't push anymore. I can't guarantee this is going to be quality writing because like I said before, I hate this story.**

**I am moving all of my stories over to Archive of Our Own though, and I realized that if the fanfic bot ever deletes my account, I'm going to have to repost ALL of my stories for my fans. And you guys are the best fans ever and I owe it to you to keep going. Before this gets posted on Archive, it will be rewritten entirely. In case the bot nails me before I can finish it here, I suggest going to Archive of Our Own and getting an account. My username is the same there as it is here. Without further ado, enjoy this next chapter.**

Vincent rubbed his sore eyes as the sun began to rise, and the sounds of the camp being packed away reached his ears. The night had been sleepless, for his mind kept jolting into Riku's thoughts and he had to suppress the need to slip back into the teen's tent and have his way with him. Slowly, he made his way back to the camp, catching Sora's gaze as the brunette emerged from his tent.

"Sora, leave your tent up. I need to break our bond still," Vincent said quietly, leaning down to murmur in his ear.

"Um...okay. What about everyone else?"

"They can go on ahead. We shouldn't be more than an hour," Vincent told him. "I'll be back in ten minutes."

He slipped back out of the campsite again, trying to get his thoughts together as he went. He knew how to break the bond, in theory. Just deconstruct the shield he put up and find any places in Riku's mind that they had ended up twining together. The problem was, they had bonded together in so many places, he wasn't sure if he could find them all. The damage Ansem had done was too extensive, and every part he and Riku had bonded was every part Ansem had destroyed. And of course, he would be running the risk of just reopening all the wounds he had healed by breaking the bond.

_Oh shut up. You're acting like a scared little girl. _

_ Now's not the time Chaos. _

_ So you bonded with him. So you molested him a little. Big deal. Just break the bond and if his brain starts bleeding out his ears, think of something else to fix him. _

Vincent threw up a wall to block out Chaos's voice. At times, the monster was wise and able to help guide him through difficult choices, and at others, he simply mocked Vincent mercilessly for being so, as he put it, sickeningly human. He regretted what he had done the night before, but it was like he was out of control. Ha. Out of control. He was never out of control. His self-control was so great, people thought he was a psychopath due to his apparent lack of emotions.

So what had happened? The bond was strong, so maybe it had broken his control. But he didn't want to admit that he wasn't strong enough, though the other option wasn't that pleasant to admit either.

Shaking his head, Vincent headed back, a little surprised to see the rest of the group already packed and gone. Sora was sitting outside the tent, staring down at the ground while worrying his lip between his teeth. Upon hearing Vincent, he looked up, gaze wary.

"Just so you know...I know what happened with you and Riku. And it's okay. Just...I just thought you should know. You don't have to hide it from me or anything, or be afraid if it happens again while you guys break the bond," Sora said.

"I'm sorry. I did not-"

Sora smiled and shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Just do what you gotta do."

"It would be best if you come inside with us," Vincent said. "In case the damage returns. It might help him if you're there."

Sora nodded and slipped inside the tent, leaving Vincent to follow in after him. Riku sat up when they entered, looking just as tired as Vincent was. He hadn't gotten any sleep the night before either, for the exact same reasons as Vincent, only he had the added stress of, if he caved into his desires, he would be hurting the only person who truly understood him.

"Let's just get this over with," Riku said. "What do we have to do?"

"Lay down again," Vincent ordered, moving to sit beside the teen's head as Riku obeyed. "And try to relax as best you can. Do not fight me."

Riku nodded and-

Vincent was inside his mind again. He recognized his presence, and as a result, did not strike out against it like he used to. In fact, feeling their minds touch like this made him feel better, made something inside him sigh in relief. He shuddered as the other's mind curled around his own, feeding him warmth but then, it was ripped away, as if startled, and it left him longing for more.

A sharp twinge of pain distracted him briefly. And then another. And another. Soon they were happening more frequently, more violently. It felt like his mind was being ripped apart, bit by bit until finally-

He gasped, eyes flying open. Vincent was above him, propped up on his elbows with his forehead touching Riku's. His eyes were closed and he groaned, rolling off Riku and pressing his clawed hand to his forehead. It was then that Riku felt the pain in his head rise up again, a throbbing thing that beat incessantly at him.

"This isn't going to work," Vincent muttered.

"What's wrong?" Sora asked, his hand twining with Riku's.

"It hurts us both too much to tear apart the bond. I don't know what we can do," Vincent said. "I could draw out the process, and destroy a little bit of it each day, but that just runs the risk of our souls merging anyways because our minds would spend so much time linked together. I don't know."

Riku fought the lance of fear that zipped down his spine, refusing to let Sora see it. "So now what? If you don't know how to fix this...who do we turn to?"

Vincent didn't look at him. "Riku. We're going to have to just do it. It will hurt, both of us. But if we just rip apart the bond quick, then it'll all be over and we can just wait out the pain."

The silverette wanted very much to say no and walk away. "If we just break everything in one go...will it damage my mind?"

"I don't know. It's up to you, how we do it," Vincent said.

Riku swallowed and leaned into Sora. "Just do it."

Vincent gave a short nod and Sora wrapped his arm tight around him. There was a twinge, a flash, and he was gone.

-.-

"Is this normal? Is this supposed to happen?" Sora asked, staring down at the now passed out Riku in his arms.

Vincent was getting to his feet, legs trembling for a moment before he fully straightened. "I don't know. We should catch up with the others though. I can carry him until he awakens."

Sora looked up at the larger, frowning. "But what if he never wakes up?"

"I think he's just resting," Vincent said. "Now come on, we have to catch up with the others."

Sora looked down at Riku, the silver haired teen's expression twisted in some form of pain. He smoothed out the furrow in his brow with his fingers, feeling a little better when the older sighed and relaxed in his arms. Now they just had to hope for the best.

-.-

With Vincent leading the party once more, the group was able to move quicker towards their destination. No one commented on that fact that Riku still hadn't awoken, and after a quick lunch break, Vincent handed him over to Naruto to carry.

"So uh, where is it we're headed exactly?" Yuffie asked Sakura, who was travelling beside her.

"Well, given the current path, we're about to enter the Sand nation, but we've still got another day's worth of forest to get through," Sakura said.

"In two hours, we will arrive," Vincent said. "He has a hideout, beneath the trees. It's hard to detect normally, but the stench of darkness will lead us right to the front door. An actual plan would be nice to have before we arrive."

"How many entrances does the place have?" Vexen asked. "We have a large enough group where we could split up."

"There are three entrances," Vincent said.

"Three groups of four, with team leaders," Sakura said. "We'll need to make groups based on strengths and weaknesses. I can start breaking everyone up if you guys tell me which way you fight the best."

"Riku and I are staying together," Sora said. "We fight better that way."

"If he wakes up anyways," Naruto said. "I can go with them, Sakura."

"Dibs on working with Vincent!" Yuffie said.

"No." Vincent didn't even turn to look at her.

"Sakura! Allow me to be in my own group! I will show these heartless and Orochimaru that the Leaf Ninja are not to be messed with!"

Sakura shook her head and began to form the groups in her head as everyone gave her their input. The next time they stopped, a half hour away from their destination, they had three groups decided on. Naruto gently set Riku down, propped up against a tree, before joining the others.

Vincent had taken maps from the other ninjas, marking out the three entrances of the hideout. "The entrances are at the base of trees and require a password to get in. If we aren't caring much for stealth, you can just break the doors in and go. I'll take Yuffie and Tifa to go wipe out any sentries they have. We should be back within the hour."

"And if you aren't?" Sora asked.

"Then keep waiting," Vincent said.

"Allow me to assist you in eliminating the sentries! I will move too fast for them to see!" Lee said.

Vincent nodded, to most everyone's surprise. "We'll return as soon as possible."

The four left the clearing they had settled down in, leaving the rest to break out rations to eat and rest before they began the big fight. Sora sat down beside Riku, checking his pulse before opening up one of the snack bars Sakura had given him. Riku hadn't so much as stirred the entire time they had been walking, and if he didn't wake up soon, Sora wasn't sure what they were going to do. It wasn't like they could just leave him in the middle of the woods while they went to fight.

"How's he doing?" Naruto asked, crouching down in front of them.

"Hasn't moved," Sora said.

"I could try slapping him," Naruto said, smiling when he was able to get a chuckle out of the brown haired teen. "Hey, it isn't that bad an idea."

Sora crooked an eyebrow up. "How about this?" He shoved Riku lightly with his shoulder, and as he began to fall, the teen jolted awake, flailing as he face planted into the ground.

Surprised, Sora and Naruto looked at each other, eyes wide, only to burst into laughter. "That's all we had to do? Really?" Naruto said.

"What? Where are we?" Riku asked, looking at them both.

"You passed out when Vincent broke the link," Sora said. "How are you feeling?"

Riku frowned, eyes glancing to the side as he thought. Ansem was still blocked off, but as hard as he thought about Vincent, nothing happened. His vision didn't waver, or blur, or show him what Vincent was seeing as it had before. "I think I'm okay. Nothing feels wrong."

Sora hugged him tightly. "Good."

"And, we're almost ready to go take out Orochimaru and find your keyhole thing," Naruto said with a bright smile. "Vincent and the others are just taking out sentries and then we get to do all the fun work."

"Oh, great," Riku said. "Anyone have water?"

"I think Sakura does," Naruto said, pointing across the clearing to where Sakura and Kiba were. "Do you need help up?"

"No, I got it," Riku said, bracing himself against the tree as he stood.

Sora bit his lip worriedly as Riku began to walk away, his movements stiff as he made his way over to the others. "I hope he'll be able to fight when we get there."

"He'll be fine," Naruto said.

Sora tilted his head, noticing that despite his smile, Naruto's eyes were just as worried as he felt. "What's wrong?"

"Eh?" Naruto looked at him, brightening his smile, but realizing Sora wasn't falling for it, he frowned. "I'm just worried about Sasuke. If he isn't there, or if he doesn't want to come back with us, or if...if he beats me and gets away."

"Well, you're best friends, right?" Sora asked.

"Yeah, but he ran away the other times too," Naruto said, sighing. "I've tried to get him to come back so many times, and every time he beats me or tells me I'm stupid and gets away again."

"Riku did that to me a lot," Sora said, watching as Riku took the canteen from Sakura and took a sip. "I chased him around a lot, trying to find him. I came close a few times, only to have him slip away again. He hated me for awhile, and was convinced I didn't like him. When we finally got him back, I think he realized that...I was going to be there for him. Maybe Sasuke just hasn't realized that about you and Sakura yet."

"But we've told him a million times," Naruto said, his voice turning into a whine. "He's got such a thick skull sometimes."

"Keep trying," Sora said as he shot the ninja a smile. "Eventually it'll stick. Maybe it'll stick this time."

"I can hope," Naruto said. "He's my best friend."

"Then if he listens to anyone, it'll be you," Sora said.

**Thank you guys, you're awesome. For you, I'll finish this thing. **


End file.
